So . . . . . do you quack like a duck or soar like an eagle??
As you all know , I changed jobs about a year and a half ago . And if I praise anything about my new job, it is how nice people are . I know . . . . every job has it's downs . But they really try to be on a positive note . Today one of the supervisors gave my boss a story . Do You Quack like a Duck or Soar like an Eagle ? I'd like to share it with you . When I first read it , I thought of Michele . She is NOT a morning person ! NOT at all !! When she was younger , Roger & Jessica would fight over who had to wake her up in the morning . I usually ended up being the "chosen" one . Not too long ago , Roger was sitting at the kitchen table . Michele had slept in . She came walking through . Her hair all messed up . Half asleep still . As she walked into the kitchen she stopped . And then she said . . . . "It's a beautiful morning." Then she went on her business . It really took us by surprise ! Was that OUR Michele ?? When asked later what brought this on , she said . . . "I'm not a morning person . But I'm trying to work on that . If I start my morning on a good note . . . I'm bound to have great day ." And since then , she is on the goal of making the world a brighter better place . If EVERYONE in the world would do this , we would be in such a better place.
~Do you Quack like a Duck or Soar like an Eagle ?? by Mr . Crum
Great Service is a CHOICE . . . . . . . . . No one can make you serve customers well . That's because great service is a choice . Years ago , my friend Harvey Mackay , told me a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point . He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport . When the cab pulled up , the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine . Smartly dressed in a white shirt , black tie , and freshly pressed black slacks , the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey . He handed my friend a laminated card and said : "I'm Wally , your driver . While I'm loading your bags in the trunk , I'd like for you to read my mission statement ". Taken aback , Harvey read the card . It said : Walley's Mission Statement : To get my customers to their destination in the quickest , safest , and most economical way possible in a friendly environment . This blew Harvey away . Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside . Spotlessly clean ! As he slide behind the wheel , Wally said , "Would you like a cup of coffee ? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf . " My friend said jokingly , "No , I'd refer a soft drink ." Wally smiled and said , "No problem . I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke , water and orange juice." Almost stuttering , Harvey said , "I'll take a Diet Coke ." Handing him his drink , Wally said , "If you'd like something to read , I have The Wall Street Journal , Time , Sports Illustrated and USA Today . " As they were pulling away , Wally handed my friend another laminated card . "These are the stations I get and the music they play , if you'd like to listen to the radio ."
As if that weren't enough , Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him . Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day . He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights , or , if Harvey preferred , "to leave him with his own thoughts ."
"Tell me , Wally ," my amazed friend asked the driver , "have you always served customers like this ?"
Wally smiled into the rear view mirror . "No , not always . In fact , it's only been int he last two years . My first five years driving , I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do . Then I heard the personal growth guru , Wayne Dyer , on the radio one day . He had just written a book called " You'll See It When You Believe It ." Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day , you'll rarely disappoint yourself . He said , "Stop complaining !! Differentiate yourself from your competition . Don't be a duck . Be an eagle . Don't quack and complain . Eagles soar above the crowd ."
"That hit me right between the eyes ," said Wally . "Dyer was really talking about me . I was always quacking and complaining , so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle . I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers . Their cabs were dirty , the drivers were unfriendly , and the customers were unhappy . So I decided to make some changes . I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well , I did more ."
"I take it this has paid off for you ," Harvey said.
"It sure has , " Wally replied . "My first year as an eagle , I doubled my income from the previous year . This year I'll probably quadruple it . You were lucky to get me today . I don't sit at cabstands anymore . My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my voicemail. If I can't pick them up myself , I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action ."
Wally was phenomenal . He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab driver over the years , and only two took the idea and ran with it . Whenever I go to their cities , I give them a call . The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice . He decided to stop quacking like a duck and started soaring like an eagle . How about you???
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