johnmdemarco posted on June 07, 2010 19:01
“I’m very particular.”
These words caught us by pleasant surprise at a popular chain coffee shop the other night when ordering a couple of delicious smoothies. The wait was longer than expected, but the young woman behind the counter offered up the products with an explanation that was dripping with authenticity.
It was no problem at all, we replied with smiles. And it truly wasn’t. The taste of the yummy concoctions was as delightful as the experience of someone who takes obvious pride in what they do.
How does a young woman (probably on her way to bigger and better things) get so passionate about ensuring that two of probably hundreds of customers she sees across a day get the best possible experience? What causes some people to have this mindset toward their work, and others to just go through the motions?
My theory is that someone along her journey has helped her catch the leadership bug: the infectious mindset that the pursuit of excellence in serving others is the most worthy endeavor at any given moment. Such a framework for making every interaction count is built upon a practiced focus of mindfulness in the moment; the person, task, opportunity at hand is the most important thing, the dynamic requiring particular focus.
Many opportunities for excellence are wasted each year because excellence isn’t the agenda of every opportunity that is embraced. And yet, few of us can think of many bonafide, heartfelt reasons against excellence at any given moment. We might have plenty of excuses, but no plausible arguments.
So what is getting in the way of excellence in every opportunity to serve? I will let you ponder that for a few…