Over the last few months, I’ve been deeply involved in remodeling our new Express Employment office in Columbus, Indiana. This isn’t my first rodeo—I’ve been part of the build-out or expansion of seven spaces over the past 20 years. Normally, I enjoy the process of transforming a space into a fresh, exciting environment. I’ve always liked working with vendors, contractors, and suppliers. But this time has been different, and I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to figure out why it’s been so frustrating. I don’t want to sound like the grumpy old guy complaining, but I think I’ve finally nailed down the issue.

It seems like it’s getting harder to just do the “right thing.” When I say the right thing, I mean making choices that are rooted in integrity, putting others first, aligning with your values, and acting in the best interest of everyone involved. You won’t find these principles in a rulebook, a manual, or on a website. They’re often unwritten, and in most cases, they’re the hardest path to take. Doing the right thing looks something like this:

• You take responsibility for doing what you said you would do.
• You don’t change what you agreed to after starting.
• You show up on time, ready to work or meet.
• If you’re going to be late, you call in advance.
• You go out of your way to make things work for the client.
• You go above and beyond what was promised.
• You let others know about the pitfalls that could come with certain decisions.
• You communicate when things go both good and badly, even when you don’t benefit.
• If you make a mistake, you own it and look to remedy with a sense of urgency.
• If you fail to finish on time, communicate and figure out a way to minimize the inconvenience.
• You give great customer service even when you are swamped, and it takes extra time.

I think a lot of these values have fallen by the wayside since COVID. We’ve collectively drifted away from taking responsibility for our actions. COVID made excuses more acceptable, and suddenly, “good enough” or even mediocrity became acceptable. Now, don’t get me wrong—these past few years have been tough on all of us. But even as we have found ourselves having to do more with less, we can still do things with joy, pride, and heart. We can serve others, be grateful for the opportunity, and strive to make a difference. We can still do what is right.

We live in a time where you can get almost anything delivered from Amazon the next day or order food through an app and have it in minutes. We’ve lost the art of slowing down and really listening to what’s needed because we’re always eager to move on to the next thing. My hope with this article is that we all take a moment to reflect on what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we can serve others with gratefulness. We need to do what is right, even when it’s a bit inconvenient, doesn’t directly benefit us, or is difficult. We should expect more from ourselves and others—striving for excellence and pushing through, even when it’s tough.

I think that the art of keeping your word, doing what you said you’d do, and doing what’s right has too often been set aside. As a society, all the AI, Google searches, apps, and computer bots have us looking for the short cuts and the easy fix. I think good old-fashioned relationships, smiles, extra effort and looking to help others succeed is all that is needed.