Time to talk about some more Success Values. Today it’s Service. I think this one gets a lot of lip service when we’re the one’s who have to give service. We certainly expect service. How many times have we ranted about poor customer service or help from someone whose job is to help? We’ve probably seen it a lot even if we don’t do it a lot. So we expect it, but don’t always offer it.
Why is that? What is it about Service that keeps some people from offering it fully when they should? What is it about Service that gets us so upset when we don’t get what we think we should?
I think it comes down to our focus. Are we focused on us first or others?
Service should be about taking care of someone else first. It should be about making sure that needs are met and expectations are exceeded so that person will want to do business with you again or seek out your friendship again. When we are too self-focused, or self-centered, our focus naturally can’t be on someone else. We can give bad service.
Also when we’re too focused on ourselves, we can get a super inflated sense of our own self-worth, especially in relationship to those who are serving us in some way. We can see them as beneath us and far too easily imagine slights and insults when their service to us is not what we expect.
Service is not just about doing things for others. It’s also about the right attitude when being served. We should always be grateful for the services and service-providers we use. There’s a human being on the other side of that service. That person has hopes, dreams and fears just like everyone else. Crushing them because we’ve got an over-inflated sense of self-worth is not the way to Success.
Being on the receiving end of Service is a Service too. It’s a way of providing job and growth opportunities to others. There is great dignity in work of any kind that is moral and ethical, no matter how low or beneath them some people may feel. Valuing someone who’s working hard to provide for their family or get ahead is a great Service to others. Cheerfully offer and accept Service. You’ll get something out of it and so will the person being served.
