Characters We Work With – Shameless

We work with every kind of person and personality imaginable throughout our career. If we sat down and wrote about the ‘Most This or That’, The ‘Wildest’, ‘Happiest’, ‘Most Cynical’, etc, it would take longer than that three-day business summit years ago in Delaware we still fall asleep thinking about. But such stand-out personalities certainly do, and will always, pop into our memories from time to time and give us something to smile about. The Showtime Hit ‘Shameless’ highlights the Gallagher Family doing their best, but more often their worst, to grow up and survive on Chicago’s South Side. Let’s examine this crew more closely to see how well they line up with some of the shameless characters we work with.

The Kevin

It is easy to get mesmerized by natural talent, or the smooth charm we see in a colleague. They effortlessly glide through projects and what seem like the toughest assignments with quality and ease. It can be frustrating for those whose talent may not be God-given, but need to process, learn, and fall down here or there before getting it rough. One colleague not blessed with a multitude of natural gifts is The Kevin. The Kevin brings in a positive attitude, tremendous work ethic, and willingness to jump in to help anyone on a project or a heavy workload. Even if we have to provide a bit of oversight and added instructions to get him there, it is worth it. The Kevin is all about team, and why he is an office favorite we hope sticks around for a long time.

The Veronica

Our no nonsense supervisor who tells it like it is, and makes sure that people come in to work hard and complete assignments on time is The Veronica. The Veronica moved into leadership a while back through consistent high performance highlighted by exceptional ratings from both leaders and clients which she has brought to her next level role. The Veronica is always available and interested in what people are working on, how she can help, willing to dive in to help wherever needed. The Veronica believes in team spirit and strong, positive culture and facilitates both by role-modeling what high spirit and collaboration looks like and why people follow her lead at every turn.

The Lip

It can be both a nice change of pace, and create apprehension on the team any time a new person comes aboard. The Lip is one of our newbies whom we expect to have the right attitude, but imagine we’ll have to support, coach, and train, while making up for the lack of production he is sure to have until he’s fully up to speed. That is until we see The Lip in action. He is a go-getter, a quick learner, and before we know it, he is excelling in his role. As we check in on him, ask how we can help or what he may need, we quickly see that The Lip is self-reliant, earning high marks from both the leadership team and clients. We wonder if The Lip may be a prodigy. He grasps his position quickly and seamlessly, which inspires the rest of the team to kick it up a notch, understanding that people like The Lip will fly right by us before long if we get complacent with our ‘average-to-good’ work. He sets a higher standard for himself, and by extension, the team.

The Frank

Most everything has a shelf-life, and as we get close to an expiration date, we make the decision whether to save it a bit longer or toss it out. One colleague under such consideration is The Frank, whose expiration date passed years ago. The issue is that The Frank has been here so long, and his behavior so erratic, that he’s put himself into a cocoon that few have the nerve to pull him out of and take action. On any given day, The Frank may be asleep at his desk, disappear at lunch and not return, or show up on a Monday after a three-day bender that has him spending longer in the bathroom than at his desk. Despite all this there is something charming about The Frank, and his antics, while mostly shocking, do provide a level of entertainment we’ll be sad to see depart the workplace. But, it has to happen. The Frank is a mess.

The Fiona

In the best run operations we are fortunate to be part of, there is a culture that prioritizes internal growth, and natural progression for people to develop and gain next level opportunities. There are also times where people are thrust into action because they may have the most tenure and there is a crisis. That leader is The Fiona. The Fiona didn’t aspire to leadership, but when the business found itself mired in turmoil, The Fiona stepped up to get us through successfully. It is not always pretty, but the effectiveness of The Fiona is proven. She brings an innate ability to lead, to motivate, and to support people to get their work done, prioritize tasks, and stay focused on the client. While surprised at first at how well The Fiona stepped in to lead the way, she has raised expectations and why we see her as a leader on the rise with no ceiling in sight.

The long-running hit ‘Shameless’ took outrageousness to new heights as the Gallagher family consistently persevered through tough times. From poverty to eviction to brushes with the law, nothing stopped this family from believing they would be okay if they worked as a team, and everyone pitched in to do their part. Their methods are, let’s say, non-traditional, but it works for them. In each career stop we make, there are always periods of chaos, yet we see that with hard work, no-nonsense leaders, go-getters, and people willing to step up when called upon, we also persevere and become a stronger team for it, creating some of our best workplace memories, thanks to The Characters We Work With.

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