“Help! I work on an automobile assembly line, and feel very little personal satisfaction.” – Helen F.

People who produce goods rather than provide services – often ask themselves, “How can I find fulfillment in my work?”

The answer to finding satisfaction is rarely found in the quantity of the production or even in the quality of the end result. In the final analysis we’re all in the people business.

Ten, fifteen or twenty years from now you won’t remember much about organizational charts, production quotas or physical facilities. What you will recall are the heartwarming, personal comments of your associates.

During a leadership seminar in Illinois, I asked several participants to share the most rewarding experiences of their careers. One man told what it meant to speak at the funeral of a valued employee. Another shared the story of a former drug addict he had helped to become a productive manager. A woman unfolded a well-worn note from a fellow worker she carried in her purse – and she read it to the group. The note said, “If you ever get discouraged, remember that you have made a real difference in one person’s life – mine!”

Do you see the pattern? What matters most are the relationships. Perhaps you have heard the phrase, “It’s lonely at the top.” Of course it is for those who have chosen to isolate themselves. However, the opposite is true for the man or woman who embraces the fact that power rises from the bottom to the top.

Neil Eskelin www.neileskelin.com