Here's to little things that pay big dividends
By Michael Greene -- Furniture Today, March 3, 2002
Have you ever thought about what kind of talent statistic pops out the loudest on a resume although it's not in capitals or color?
Well, I don't know if the General Accounting Office of our federal government even has a line for such itty bitty stuff, but I do know it wouldn't hurt if it did. What kind of stuff, Michael, you ask? Little stuff that can make big impressions. Real little stuff that you might never think would impress anyone else and not even yourself, sometimes. Stuff that, as I always told my kids at young stages in their lives, would pay off in experience rather than in titles or pay.
One of them once called me, while he was in a fine college, to report that he got a great job! What was it? Shoveling snow at the switching points of the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks for two bucks an hour. And, he further told me, that it included a meal at the nearest diner. "Great!" I answered, "go for it." I was real proud.
Well, a while later, my Bubbila and I were invited to visit the parents of a young lady that this kid was "seeing" and her "successful" father asked me: "Is it true that you let your son shovel snow off the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad?" "Absolutely!" I answered with pride. He looked dismayed and disappointed.
"Furthermore," I continued, "one of these days this guy of ours is going to be successful in whatever he chooses. And do you know what he's going to brag about the most? No, not his degrees or his clients. He's going to brag about the days he spent shoveling snow on the Pennsylvania Railroad and the 'great' meals that he devoured at the local diner." We never were invited by those nice folks again.
So what is it that pops out the most on resumes for potential employers, although not in caps or color? Tiny facts about having worked with people successfully or having handled people successfully. Handled people successfully? Yes, like being a waiter who, in short order, rates the best "tipping" corner in the restaurant. Like being a bellman who makes people happy even before they enter their designated rooms. Like being a salesperson customers call and ask for by first name. Like being a delivery service driver customers trust with their cargo.
What's so important about all these "little" shticks that are not little? Simple. In every business game the last person carrying the ball carries it for the whole team. The guy that mishandles a night table on delivery and allows the drawer to slide out and tumble down the stairs, drops it for the whole team.
The smile of a first "hello!" sets the pace but the quality of service between it and the last "thank you" sets the record forever. As it is written, "Little things mean an awful lot." So if you've done them, well, flaunt them.
Thanks, again, for listening.
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