Weekly Thought #5 (opinion)

Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler CEO, used to work for a department store washing glass doors in his early years. He displayed some frustration over those who pushed open the door with their hand on the glass, rather than use the handle, and it was often done while he was just finishing cleaning. Therefore, not even two minutes later, there would be smudges. To this day, Lee always uses the handle to avoid causing someone else his frustration.
We could argue this is the employee’s job, and what he or she gets paid to do. However, the point I will make is bigger than that question, and we all know the custodian gets paid in part to clean, but it doesn’t mean we trash the facility. There are opportunities everywhere to, if not make someone’s job easier, at least not to make it harder. Perhaps there is more to the story, and maybe we shouldn’t be discussing going the extra mile to decrease someone’s workload, but how to recognize those who excel in their role, and how they went the extra mile for us.
We are all emotional, and it is common to display our disgust but quick to overlook the exceptional service and product. Most of us have someone who supervises our responsibilities, and even if we didn’t, we still are comforted when we know someone has noticed our performance. Basically, it doesn’t take an army to commend someone on a job well done. I was always taught to discipline verbally, but praise in writing. This doesn’t demand much of our time; the time you spend is going to make another person’s day better. This is the belief in the butterfly effect: your actions, no matter how small, can make a big difference. Next time you are satisfied with a good or service, ask for a supervisors name and address. You can talk to them directly, but always send follow up letters to the person responsible, and their boss, about your happiness.
This is one of those things we can do to help others. It may not be the cure to cancer or food for the hungry, but small steps help the long journey, and we can’t reach our goal if we don’t start somewhere.