The Extra Mile

The other day a colleague and I were meeting in my office and he made a comment about a plaque hanging on the wall. This plaque has a doorknob protruding out from it and he asked what the story was behind the doorknob. This question brought a smile to my face as I recounted to him why and how I was presented with this honor. This

doorknob is a relic from a historical hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. The beautiful hotel hosted several past United States presidents and Hollywood actors such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, The Beatles, and multitude of others throughout the years. The reason they gave me this beautiful recognition plaque was because I was involved in bringing a new revenue stream to their already successful organization.

As I shared this story, my memory was reignited about the incredible service our group received while staying there. It all started when I entered my suite. The General Manager would be labeled today as a “Servant Leader.” We will cover that term and what it all entails in next month’s issue. As I entered my suite after a long travel day, he was actually doing some last minute touch-up vacuuming and overseeing my arrival. In all the travel that I have done throughout my years this was a first! We soon came to understand that this was not a first for him or this organization. At every turn whenever we needed something they delivered, and if they could not deliver they would let us know and offer alternatives. He especially was very good at anticipating our needs.

While discussing logistics on a daily basis he would hover closely and really listen to what we were saying to see if his organization could go the extra mile.

That week was one of the most enjoyable experiences in my professional life. The entire organization was courteous, respectful and discreet as they performed their individual roles. It made me contemplate how they made this such a part of their culture and how they instilled in new employees this value of great service. It obviously started at the top and was expected of everyone in their respective roles. I asked this General Manager about how they handled those who did not comply. He told me they were very much disciplined with their performance evaluation and feedback system and individuals were warned and if the expectation was not met they were fired. I have often thought back on that conversation.

What can you take away from this experience?

I learned that if I expect certain behaviors from those individuals in my life that I lead whether it is professionally or personally, I must set the tone and the example. We can also take away that discipline is key to success.

How often do we let things go or rationalize people’s behavior? Perhaps if we start expecting exceptional service we will start to see that happening time and time again in our lives.

Is it hard to go the extra mile? Not really, if you expend just a little more effort the rewards could potentially be tripled if not more. Others may or may not see your efforts, but deep inside you will know that you were true to your internal compass. That will breed happiness and peace throughout your life. May you have the courage to push yourself to go the extra mile and enjoy the results of your labors!

Linda Yates has more than 20 years of experience in sales, customer service, marketing, business development and fund raising. She has spoken on topics such as leadership, customer service, personal development and growth, business marketing and communication. She has written for national publications on marketing strategy planning and development and has been a highly sought after asset for a variety of businesses and organizations.

She currently leads the exciting and diverse real estate training experiences on behalf of an industry leading organization. From online seminars to workshops to boot camps, she implements the educational programs that help investors and first-time home buyers thrive in today’s real estate market. With extensive project planning, public speaking and educational training experience, Linda distills complex issues into easy- to-understand messages that help individuals from all walks of life achieve their real estate goals.

Prior to working in the real estate industry, Linda executed motivation and training programs to thousands of individuals from several Fortune 500 companies on their internal processes and strategic initiatives throughout North America.

She is no stranger to the world of technology where she advised middle market companies on leveraging their existing business systems and to how maximize their customer relationships through technology.

Linda’s expertise is being a conduit to facilitate growth from a personal or business setting. She believes that if you “talk” about it, you better be willing to “walk the talk”.

To learn more or to contact Linda directly, e-mail her at lhyates@excite.com