This morning, I
experienced an employee so focused on doing his job that he missed the reason
for his job—satisfying customers.
I went to a
grocery store to purchase cream cheese. Because I seldom grocery shop, my wife
gave me the in-store location for finding the product: “It’s on the left wall
of the store in the dairy section.” The dairy section proved to have more than
cream cheese. I found milk, orange juice, butter, eggs, and yogurt, but no
cream chews. I spotted a store employee bending over the dairy case fronting
and replacing cheese. I saw hope and move beside him. I asked, “Where is the
cream cheese?” Without looking to his left to see me and remaining bent over he
continued to restock. He grunted, “Down there.” That was it. I got the message.
I was an interruption of his morning and an impediment to him accomplishing his
job.
I went down there,
found my cream cheese and moved to the checkout counter. As I glanced back, the
employee was still bent over stocking product—doing his job. He never
understood helping me have a great experience — though not written in his
employee manual, was his real job.
Maybe I should
have spoken to his manager or even the store manager. My better judgment told
me that neither of the managers would use my shopping experience as a teaching
moment. Like so many other employees, managers are also working.
Andrew Carnegie,
the self-made steel tycoon, and philanthropist of the 19th century was once
asked the reason why so many people fail in life. He said, “There are two types
of people who never achieve very much in the lifetimes. One is the person who
won’t do what he or she is told to do, and the other is the person who does no
more that he or she is told to do.” Carnegie observed that people fail for one
or two reasons: they won’t do, or they do only the minimum.
Often it is the small
acts that make a big difference. A little extra thought, attention, and effort
may not change the world but, that extra can make someone feel extraordinary.
Today and every day focus on how you can make someone’s encounter with you a positive
and memorable experience.
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