I was on a mission! I went to Wal-Mart and headed directly for the Christmas aisle. A lovely gentleman who works in that department walked up to me and I said, “I need a house for baby Jesus.” He smiled and replied, “Do you mean a nativity stable?” I responded, “Yes!” He then asked me if I’d like it made of wood with cedar shingles and I responded with an enthusiastic “Yes that would be terrific!” I had no idea this would be so easy as I’d been on the hunt for such an item for a long time. He asked me what dimensions I wanted and I felt like I was requesting a personal order. My surprise came when George told me that he’d have it ready for me in three days as he was going to build it himself!
Most people know I’m passionate about service. Super exceeding clients or customers expectations is not an option. George demonstrated exceptional service! He had no idea that I deliver seminars and keynotes on such a topic. All he wanted to do was make my day! I gave him my contact number and he called to ask if I wanted him to build a cradle for baby Jesus.
Now you might be thinking…would Wal-Mart allow him to do such an extravagant thing? Yes, in fact his manager was more than impressed! Three days later I got the call to pick up my stable which he had in a cabinet at the store. Another wonderful surprise was he had no expectations of me paying him for this! Once I gave George the money I believed was a fair price (plus a little more) he was delighted and more than gracious.
How can we make a difference by delivering superior service to others? Just thinking of a way to do this is motivation in itself. You don’t have to do a George but the smallest act can make the biggest difference. It doesn’t have to be Christmas in order to be gracious as giving always feels better than receiving.
Productivity without angst
21 hours ago