Monday, December 07, 2009

Thought for the day - what can you do?

Let me share with you a story about a 19 year-old boy named Johnny who works in a supermarket as a bagger. One day, he attended a training where he was challenged to think about something he could do for his customers to make them feel special.

One month later, the trainer received a phone call from Johnny. He proudly informed her that he was a Down syndrome individual and that he liked what she had shared in the training. However, initially, he did not think he could do anything special for his customers. "After all," he shared, "I'm just a bagger." Then he had an idea!

Every night after work, he would go home and find a THOUGHT FOR THE DAY. If he couldn't find a saying he liked, he would just think one up. When Johnny had a good THOUGHT FOR THE DAY, his dad helped him print out multiple copies. He would then cut out copies of each quote and bring them to work the next day. After bagging someone's groceries, he would put a THOUGHT FOR THE DAY in the bag and say, "Thank you for shopping with us."

As a result, Johnny's checkout line was 3 times longer than anyone else's! When the store manager opened up more lanes and tried to get the customers to change lanes, no one would move. They said, "No, it's okay. We want to be in Johnny's lane. We want his THOUGHT FOR THE DAY." One customer said, "I used to stop at your store once a week, but now I come in every time I go by, because I want to get Johnny's THOUGHT FOR THE DAY."

Because of Johnny's example, a wonderful spirit of service spread throughout the entire store. This happened because Johnny chose to make a difference! Johnny's idea wasn't nearly as innovative as it was loving. It came from his heart - it was sincere. That's what touched his customers and his peers. Great service comes from the heart.

Will you, by God's enabling, choose to make a difference in someone's life each day?

Yours sincerely,
Tan Meng Poo
Director, Asia-Pacific Region, RBC.