Wednesday Weblog for July 19, 2023 |
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Leading Off: The Countdown Begins |
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The Falmouth Road Race is less than a month away and I have looked like a nut running in 80-degree weather during those rare occasions when the rain has stopped long enough for puddles to dry on my running route. I am focused on hot weather training because I know that the course on the Cape is unforgiving, and I'd like to run more than I walk on August 20.
I want to thank John and Bill and Jim and Margaret and Laura and Davis and Don and Peanut for generously donating to the cause. I passed my original goal of raising $1,000 and I'm heading towards $2,000. I've been really impressed in my two years of association with CF at how much of an impact the money raised has had on the lives of those impacted. I am happy to help change the world one person at a time.
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The following story came to my attention through longtime friend Tommy C. in Memphis, who reposted it on LinkedIn.
I have no relationship with the organization, but the story hit several chords with me.
It struck me as both a story about customer service, and even more importantly about attitude. Thanks to Summer Grace Vanni who authored it for Love What Matters. I hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me.
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The Reaction
The four most important points that Wasu shared about his change in attitude that resonated with me and that I took away were:
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1 "The Power of Choice"
Imagine if we could go through life without being a victim, but realizing how powerful the choices we have might be? We all sometimes 'choose' to be a victim don't we?
When are you a victim?
- Big snowstorm?
- Chipped tooth?
- Bad date?
- Stuck at a red light or a train crossing?
- Wrong line in the supermarket?
- Spent money on a concert that stunk?
- Your car needs major repairs?
- No toilet paper at the supermarket?
Almost anything that doesn’t go our way, we can easily slip in victim mode and think 'poor me.'
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2 "Ducks Quack and Complain"
As a sports fan, I can’t tell you how irritating it is to have one of the top players on the Boston Celtics bitch and moan about every single call the entire game. Almost non-stop.
You can read his lips ‘I was fouled.’ Not only does he complain, but he plays the victim card almost as many times as he takes an ill-advised shot.
I think we all get into this mode of complaining. For example, if you’ve ever driven in Massachusetts and yelled at your windshield or a traffic light or a traffic cop, you are quacking.
Complaining is so unflattering. It is hard to look good or sound good when complaining. Most of the time, complaining is a waste of time because we complain to the wrong person or to someone who can’t do anything about it.
Life isn’t fair. What is your next question?
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3 "Eagles Soar Above the Crowd"
We see people who separate themselves from the pack, and we’ve separated ourselves from the pack on occasion. But what I think we generally forget is that when that happened, we weren’t in a complaining mode, and we were focused on ‘better.’
It might have been getting better or it might have been striving for a ‘personal best,’ but whatever the situation, we were too busy moving forward to complain about the past.
There is a simple fact about competitive behavior: in order to be the best, you actually have to try hard to be the best. It doesn’t happen automatically. I once read a quote that said the person at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there.
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4 "My Customers Responded Well"
In the story, you wonder what Wasu would have done if his customers didn’t respond, if his income didn’t double and then quadruple.
It is easy to continue a practice that gives you positive reinforcement, but sometimes the time gap between behavior and reward causes us to run out of patience.
I am not a cab riding expert or an Uber expert. I have done the cab thing in large cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Orlando, and Uber in a dozen cities. Never met a Wasu, not even close.
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Here's what Wasu did to stand out:
He looked at his business from the customer point of view. He said to himself: ‘what would make riding in my cab a great experience?’ Then he set out to provide it.
I’m guessing that in addition to the revenue, he also probably had a better time at work. Wasu used the power of choice to change his world. I think it is actually that simple.
The Power of Choice is something we all have we just have to use it to choose a better way.
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Surprise Photo at the End |
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Ed Doherty
774-479-8831
www.ambroselanden.com
ed-doherty@outlook.com
Forgive any typos please.
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