On a typical day, we dole out words in the form of assurances and promises. But do our actions match these words? When I look around, most of these assurances and promises fall flat. I had observed in my professional life. We are quick to send out hollow promises. To motivate you, I would like to tell you a little tale where actions matched the words. It was a story about a friend going the extra mile for a customer.
Recently, my friend was put in charge of a new engagement. This particular engagement has seen more downs than ups. Possessing a positive outlook, my friend saw this as a tremendous opportunity for growth. When there is a very little business coming out of a partnership, there is only one direction to go. The direction is upwards, according to my friend. So he demonstrated a lot of quick wins for his customer. As a result, the client became less grumpy and was willing to listen. When the ice had thawed, my friend invited the customer for dinner in a semi-casual environment. He found a classy restaurant and finalized on the day.
What could wrong with a simple dinner? Murphy's law appeared in the form of a drawbridge. To understand how a drawbridge causes a problem, I will have to step back and explain the layout of the town. A major river and many canals divide the city into different compartments. There are several bridges over these water bodies. A few of them are permanent bridges while many of them are drawbridges which enables big boats and small ships to pass through. My friend had to cross a drawbridge to reach the restaurant. On that fateful day, my friend was driven around by his colleague. They were about to cross the drawbridge when the traffic stopped, and the drawbridge was pulled up. Unfortunately, the client had already crossed the drawbridge a few seconds earlier.
You can imagine the anguish of my friend, waiting in the traffic. He reached out to the client. The client reassured my friend there is nothing to worry as it is a common occurrence in the town. The drawbridge goes up, and there is a long queue of vehicles. Then the drawbridge comes down, and the traffic is smooth. The client was ready to wait. On that day, the drawbridge was not coming down. The anxiety levels rose. Instead of waiting, my friend quickly got out of the car and looked for an alternative route while his colleague stayed in the car. It was a good plan. If the drawbridge comes down, his colleague will be able to reach the venue. If the drawbridge stays, then my friend would find an alternate route.
The alternate route turned out to circuitous. My friend walked to another part of the town to find a permanent bridge, crossed the river and reached the restaurant. By this time, the traffic had cleared up, and his colleague had arrived the restaurant a few minutes before my friend. The client understood the efforts taken by my friend. After settling down at the table and while talking about the business, my friend confidently promised. "I know things are not where we want it to be. But I am ready to go the extra mile to make it work, and I mean it as I have walked the extra mile today to reach here." It was the right statement. He had walked an extra mile to find the permanent bridge. In this case, actions were already matching his promise.
Do you make promises? Is this inline with your past actions? Can you take these promises into fruition with action?
Photo Courtesy: Dave Pearce
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