If you’ve been in a coffee shop recently, you’ve likely been prompted to choose a tip amount even before receiving any coffee. It can become easy to tip out of guilt when the interested party stands over you. Guilt can be a form of bondage, causing a person to do something begrudgingly, rather than out of a grateful spirit. God ...
Last year, I made a $10 mistake on my personal tax return that resulted in the IRS demanding $175 in penalties. Although it’s cheaper and probably smarter to send them a check, I just couldn’t let it go. Especially since according to the tax code, I don’t owe any penalties. When I experience an injustice, I tend to fight until ...
Small business owners know that customers are the life blood of their organization. So knowingly angering one of them is risky. A new friend who owns a martial arts academy took that risk recently. After developing his mission statement and core values, he put them on a plaque by the front door of his business. His mission statement states ...
After my father’s passing, I made many phone calls to secure my mother’s survivor benefits. During one call, I talked to a woman with a thick foreign accent who seemed uncertain what information to gather. For almost an hour she asked me the same questions multiple times. Just when I thought we were wrapping up, she blurted out, “I have ...
The Harvard Business Review featured an article on some benefits of what’s called the Impostor Syndrome. The Impostor Syndrome affects those people who commonly feel inadequate and believe they are a fraud despite having success at work. A professor at MIT Sloan discovered that those who felt like impostor’s were more “other-oriented” and humble than their peers. This resulted ...
When you combine my love of new ideas with my desire to please others, it can lead to more complexity than necessary. I was guilty of that with this year’s Summit conference. Because we hosted Thursday and Friday activities there were more pricing variables than usual. Before long we had individual prices, group prices, early bird discounts, and many other ...
Over two thousand years ago, there was a business owner having a good day. With his motel 100% occupied, this entrepreneur even rented out his stable when a pregnant woman and her husband requested a place to stay. Imagine this businessman’s possible thoughts 35 year later when he learned that he had hosted the King of Kings in his stable. ...
Kathy and I were having dinner with our friend, Sandy, when I noticed that Sandy was being blinded by the hot sun on her face. I asked the waitress to adjust the blinds, but there were no blinds on that particular window. The waitress, however, realized that her customer had a problem that needed resolved. She quickly moved our table ...
My wife, Kathy, recently shared with a group of friends that she was named “The Best Waitress in Kansas City” in 1985 by a local magazine. Kathy was quick to say, “There were many waitresses far better than me, but I was fortunate to learn who I was serving.” Her award came about because a busboy informed Kathy that she ...
After being involved in a wreck, my car spent a month in a body shop. This wasn’t as frustrating as I imagined because this body shop has learned a valuable tool in customer service – communication. Two to three times a week, I would receive a text message or a personal phone call with an update on my car. They ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
