It's My Job

It’s My Job

“…If street sweepers can smile, then I’ve got no right to feel upset…”

- Jimmy Buffett, It’s My Job

Mom bought me this sign too. :-)

We often get frustrated with where we are in our lives, our careers, and how things have turned out.  We get bored with our job, annoyed with tedious tasks, and we long for that next job or more exciting opportunity somewhere else.   

I’m just as guilty of this as the next guy - always hoping, looking, and wishing for that next thing…that next job…that next promotion.  Not only is this the wrong approach, it is also nonproductive. Many of us have learned the hard way that the grass isn’t always greener somewhere else.

Key Takeaway –Live For Today

Take pride in what you do, how you do it, and the impact your actions or words might have on your coworkers, boss, friends, and family.  My mom often tells me, “this is it…this is the show.  No point in waiting around for something 'else' to happen.”  She’s right.  She bought me a little sign that hangs in my room with a quote on it - "A person will be just about as happy as they make up their mind to be..." - Abraham Lincoln.  I look at it every single day. (Thanks, Mom!)

Mark Sanborn, author of my favorite book, The Fred Factor  (If you’ve never read it, read it…If you have read it, read it again.), says that we shouldn’t be so convinced that we need a new job, but instead we should approach our current job differently.  I’ve found this to be profound advice.  I sometimes find myself looking too far into the future, longing for that next big opportunity.  Focusing on making an impact today always results in a happier, more fulfilling, and much more productive experience for myself and those around me.

Tired of the menial tasks your boss gives you?  Tired of waking up early for work?  Tired of working late?  Tired of working weekends?  Annoyed with Guests, customers, students, or coworkers asking the same old questions about the same old issues?  Feeling like you'll be stuck in the same role for the next 20 years and never be promoted?

Change the way you think about it…

When you’re walking into the office on a Monday morning or late one Friday or Saturday night, don’t be frustrated or annoyed.  Think about all the opportunities you’ll have to make an impact TODAY.  Think about all the people that depend on you.  Think about how much you’ll help a friend, coworker, boss, employee, Guest, or customer if and when you finish that assignment or solve that problem.  People may not show it, but you can bet that your contributions at work and at home are truly valued. Remember that…take pride in being the one that makes an impact.  Think of it as your job.

Quick secret – The beat goes on…work will come across our desks, and people will have expectations of us whether we like it or not.  How we choose to accept and embrace the cards we’re dealt is entirely up to us.  Why not take pride in whatever it is we do…why not go OneMoreStep in as many ways as we possibly can?  Even if we don’t love what we’re doing right now, we should take pride in doing it to the best of our abilities.  Tell yourself that it’s your job today…for now…and your work ethic today will not only be valued, but also come back to you ten fold down the road in the form of credibility, respect, and thriving relationships.  The promotion will be the cherry on the sundae. 

At Disney, Cast Members are given clear expectations for their “role”…their role in the show.  I think the same applies in life. We all have our “roles”…which we should embrace as “our jobs.” 

·      Right now a guy is on his way to a business meeting six states away from his wife and kids, but he’ll be back with the family this weekend.  That’s his job.

·      Right now a single mom is working housekeeping at a hotel to provide for her little ones at home.  She takes the bus across town, 45 minutes each way, to and from work.  That’s her job.

·      Right now American men and women are serving their country in various armed forces roles all over the world.  I was emailing with a college buddy, Rick Frank, just last week, and when I asked what he’s doing now he wrote:  “Major, US Army Warfighter, and right now running the Human Resources for an Aviation Brigade that provides World Class Service to over 4,000 Soldiers and their family members. Currently on the front lines of freedom in South Korea. It's not Las Vegas, we work our tails off, but I get to see my family every night.”  That’s his job.  (I know...it gave me chills too...just awesome.)

·      Right now a passionate, educated, and capable young man is between jobs, applying and interviewing diligently for his next career opportunity.  He’s dealing with all the stress and anxiety that comes with unemployment.  That’s his job.

·      Right now a CEO of a large organization is negotiating deals, preparing for an upcoming board meeting, and trying to cut costs 10% without having to do lay offs…and squeezing in her daughter’s piano recital Friday night.  That’s her job.

If you have a job, take pride in what you do for a living.  It doesn’t matter if you are a street sweeper, teacher, housekeeper, or a CEO.  Do it better than anyone else…today…even if it’s not something you love to do.  Keep going OneMoreStep to make an impact for somebody or something.  You’ll feel better, they will feel better, and all of a sudden what was once mundane and tedious will soon become the foundation for a happy and fulfilling experience at work and at home. 

If you don’t have a job at the moment, take pride in your journey back to the workforce.  What can you read, write, learn, and/or master in your off time that will not only benefit you but also your future employer?  Take pride in researching more than other applicants, preparing more, following up more, and networking more.  Don’t give up.  I understand the feelings, stresses, and worries of unemployment.  You will be back. Make networking your job.  Do not give up.  In the meantime, let go and let God.  Keep praying.  Keep serving.  Keep giving of yourself to others.  Have faith.

When you think you've done enough, go OneMoreStep...IT'S OUR JOB!

Have a great week.

Taylor

PS:  Coming Soon - FRED FRIDAYS...stay tuned

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Watch this video...

One of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs, "It's My Job", written by Mr. Mac McAnally, paints the perfect picture of taking pride in what you do for a living...Enjoy.

"Take pride in what you do for a living...even if you have a job that sucks, 'cause that's the quickest way to a job that sucks less." -- Mac McAnally

Be "Around" the Ball

Be “Around” the Ball

I fell in love with the game of basketball at a very young age going to East Carter High School Raiders games with my dad and grandfather.  By the time I was in high school, I had developed an absolute passion for the game and everything that came along with it…especially leadership.   

I was a point guard…an extension of the coach on the floor.  So I spent a great deal of time talking to, listening to, and learning from coaches Charles Baker, Hager Easterling, and Jack Calhoun Jr.  I spent even more time watching basketball with my dad, listening, learning, and yes…talking his ear off in the living room each night watching games on tv. 

Fourteen years later, lessons I learned on the basketball court still guide me today.  I could write an entire book on these lessons (not a bad idea), but this week I felt compelled to share one concept in particular…

Be “Around” the Ball

It’s one thing to be “on the ball”, but are you always “around the ball”? 

Growing up, I would often watch games with my coaches and my dad.  When I would comment on a nice play or player, coach Baker would say, “…yep, Tay, he’s always around the ball…that’s a sign of a great player.” 

What did he mean by this? 

Great players always seek out ways to be involved in every play.  Sometimes they take the shot, other times they make a great pass to set-up a teammate for an easy score, and sometimes they make a crucial defensive play which turns the tide of the game.  Common denominator…they’re always “around the ball”, making an impact.

The same concept can be applied to our daily routines at work…

You’re all buttoned up.  Your desk is tidy.  Your To-Do list is quite the masterpiece with that yellow highlighter mark drawn through each outstanding item…but where’s the ball?  What are the most important initiatives in your company, school, team, or organization?  Are you involved?  Are you making an impact?  Are you satisfied merely having all of your own projects wrapped up?  Or do you want to do more and make an IMPACT on the overall team or organization’s results?  If you want to be a game changer…if you really want to make an impact…once your own personal To-Do’s are complete, go OneMoreStep, and seek out your organization’s most pressing projects or most important initiatives.   Not in your job description, but you know you can add value?  Get in there…jump right in, and make your magic.

Rick Pitino says about point guards, “…mediocre guards play along the sidelines, but great guards play in the middle of the court.”  Next time you watch a basketball game.  Watch.  The action, the risk, and the potential game-changing plays all happen in the middle of the floor.  Along the sidelines, it’s easier, less of a risk, and safe.  Good luck making any ‘real’ magic hugging the sideline. 

Get in the middle of the floor.  When you think the “big” project or initiative coming down from corporate, your owners, or the central office is over your head and “not your job”…go OneMoreStep.  Seek out ways to get in the mix, and make an IMPACT.  Do that a few times in the near future; become known and recognized as someone that is always “around the ball” and allow me to be the first to congratulate you, in advance, on your next promotion. 

Be “around the ball” as much as possible...If you know you can contribute, why not ask to be involved…ask to take that last second shot…want the ball.  That could very well be the OneMoreStep your team, school, or company needs to be successful.

OneMoreStep story for the road…

One of our Vice Presidents at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations of one department in the casino.  However, on any given day of the week, you may find him in a meeting with our marketing or accounting teams, making decisions that impact Guest experience at the front desk, answering questions for Guests or employees on the casino floor, and/or assisting with the planning and execution of a special event.  If something important is happening, if something needs to be approved, or if someone needs assistance…he is usually there…always “around the ball.” 

Somewhere in HR, they have a job description for his role; but he goes to work everyday to make an impact. Period.  You’ll never hear the words, “that’s not my job” come out of his mouth, nor would he ever think it.  He’s concerned with the big picture; the team; the company.  That’s leadership. That’s going OneMoreStep.  The cool part…we’re all following his lead.  The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is making a real impact on her Guests and Co-Stars (employees) because of it.

Have a great day.

Taylor

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University of Kentucky Wildcat fans had the good fortune of watching John Wall last season; he was always "around the ball"

...for hoops fans, I figured why not.  'Tis the season...Enjoy.

Go Cats

Avis Makes Magic?

Avis Makes Magic?

“Make your people your brand...”  – Lee Cockerell, Creating Magic

Every company has a recognition program that “rewards the behavior they want to see”.  Disney has the Great Service Fanatic Card, Wynn Las Vegas has the OneMoreStep Card (you’re welcome Mr. Wynn), Marriott has the Marriott Awards of Excellence, etc.  All of these programs reward team members for going OneMoreStep while motivating repeat behavior through good old-fashioned “storytelling”.  Tell the stories of people making magic, and soon more of your staff will follow suit with their performance.  Simple recognition.  Great programs.

Sonny Ritacca, a close friend of mine, recently called me fired up about his company’s new marketing initiative.  Sonny and I met while we both were on an internship at the mothership ten years ago.  So we share that common bond and passion for making magic.   He is a Regional Sales Manager at Avis Budget Group in Chicago.   

Here's proof that going OneMoreStep in any industry, any job, anywhere…can make an impact...

Avis Rental Car is building an entire marketing campaign around their employees going OneMoreStep! Just this month, Avis launched The Letter Box: Stories From our Renters; an ad campaign consisting of actual, real life Guest letters that compliment Avis employees’ legendary We Try Harder service culture.  Not only are they using storytelling to reward, recognize, and motivate their teams; they are literally making their people their brand.   

A strategic OneMoreStep…on many levels:

1.     Avis employees go OneMoreStep, making magic for their Guests at all costs.

2.     Avis leadership goes OneMoreStep by recognizing employees for making magic.

3.     Avis executives go OneMoreStep, by not only “selling” their We Try Harder service culture, but also by actively advertising the proof! Real life Guest letters!

4.  Guests are happy.  Employees feel valued.  Avis stock price goes up.

The most important part of this whole program is: not the slogan, not the innovative use of Twitter to promote the ads, nor its catchy tag lines…it’s the IMPACT that extraordinary service has on Avis guests. 

That, my friends, is what it’s all about…going OneMoreStep when it’s least expected truly makes an impact on people’s lives…MAGIC. 

Bob Noll, Debbie Jones, Leonard Marshall, and Adrian Rutty all made somebody’s day…maybe even their year; working customer service for a rental car company.  How can you make an impact in people’s lives in your everyday routine?

Simple... 

When you think you’ve done enough…go OneMoreStep.  You'll make magic every time.

Taylor

I Like a Girl...but...

"Relationships…we all got em…we all want em…now what do we do with em?”

– Jimmy Buffett – Fruitcakes

Another Valentine’s Day…here come the mixed feelings.  If we’re in a relationship, we’re looking for the right gift.  Do we show our cards, and tell them how much we care?  If we’re not in a relationship, we’re weighing the pros and cons of asking her out for the first time.  If we’re single, we can’t wait until February 15^th.

I’ll admit I’m no love expert, but I’ve certainly learned from the past.  We all have.  So ala, Forest Gump…I may not be a smart man (on this topic), but I know what love is…and love is going OneMoreStep after OneMoreStep. 

A few thoughts…

If you like them, tell them 

Whether you’re in a new a relationship, or well into sharing a life with someone, why not tell him or her how much you care.  Instead of playing it safe or waiting the “standard” period of time before you really open up…go OneMoreStep.  Tell your special someone how much you like them, care about them, or dare I say…love them.  Sounds easy enough, but we’ve all lived it, seen it, or heard about it.  Missed opportunities.  All the “What Might Have Been’s”.  Heck with the playbook, go OneMoreStep…tell them how you feel when you feel it.  If you don’t, you could miss out on some magical moments.  I know I have, and I’m certainly not the only one.  I can show you an endless list of country music songs and romantic comedies to prove it. 

Now that you’ve told them, show them 

It’s one thing to tell them you care about them, but showing them you care makes the real magic.  An unexpected gift.  A surprise weekend getaway.  Preparing their favorite meal.  A public display of affection that usually creeps you out, but totally makes her smile…

We often fail to show them we care, and then the Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy unfolds.  We break up.  They move on.  Then we try and show them how much we like them or love them, and by that time it’s way too late.  Their ship has sailed…and we’re left alone at the dock scratching our head wondering where it went wrong.  Speaking from experience…take the focus off of yourself and make it about them.  When you think you’ve told them enough how much you care, go OneMoreStep and show them.  Actions speak louder than words.     

If you’re still single…don’t worry… 

Heard the new Darius Rucker song, “This”?  If not, Google it.  Sums it up.  The gist of it is that all this ‘stuff’ happens to us throughout our lives; heartbreak, failures, and missed opportunities.  However, the chorus of the song is, “…thank God for all I’ve missed, ‘cause it led me here to this.”  

She’s out there.  He’s out there.  Do not worry.  (Matthew 6:34) And speaking of God…He has a plan for each and every one of us.  Have faith.  Keep being you.  Next time you have that little feeling about someone, go OneMoreStep.  Strike up the conversation, and who knows…they just may like you back.

Two for the Road…

Valentine’s Day  x  364 

Monday night millions of people will “celebrate” Valentine’s Day.  They will book the special dinner, pay the extra $4.99 for flowers to be delivered on V-Day, and say all the right things to show their special someone how much they love them.  

My thing is…who says we have to wait until Valentine’s Day to make magic for those we love?  I say, take that selfless, loving Valentine’s Day program and multiply it times 364 more days of the year.  Go OneMoreStep on a random Tuesday in May or June, and then do it again in July…whatever you do, make it about them.  Do that, and call me six months from now with stories of how great it is between the two of you.  I wish I had made it more about “her” and less about me in some of my past relationships.  Instead, those ships have so sailed…and here I am left with a country song on my hands.  Don’t make the same mistake.  Make everyday Valentine’s Day…tell them…show them…and love them.

Don’t Wait on the Fairytale 

Just this week, I was emailing with a dear friend of mine who now lives in San Francisco.  We worked together at the mothership in the summer of 1999 at “It’s Tough to be a Bug” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

She lives with her boyfriend with whom she fell deeply in love a couple of years ago.  I’m so happy for them both because they basically crush life, and they’re so happy living in Napa, etc…the whole nine yards.  

I ended an email to her with, “I’m so happy for you…you deserve the fairy tale”.  She emailed me back, and shared something she had learned from a spiritual leader of hers, which makes total sense.  She said: 

Honey...love is not a fairy tale...it's a lot of work.

But it's love...and that makes it worth it! ;-)

We often spend most of the time seeking our expectations (chasing the fairy tale).

However, we live in reality most of the time, which is not our expectation.

The distance between expectation and reality is suffering.

Gotta live in what's real.

Be present in the amazing, beautiful, and yes sometimes very difficult lives that we live...because that's what's REAL.  Otherwise...we miss out!  And we suffer.

And I'd rather embrace the suffering that is real than continue to seek out a life that I will never have.

Moral to the story…if you’re waiting on that ‘perfect’ fairy tale, you might be waiting awhile.  We should embrace our current relationships.  If you don’t, you just may find yourself alone on that dock, watching all those ships sail off into the sunset…again…and…again.

So have a great Valentine’s Day with your special someone…when you think you’ve done enough to show them you care, go OneMoreStep and show them again next week…and then again the week after that.  

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Special Guest, Chuck Wicks, stops by... 

Chuck and I have been best friends since we met in Hollis Hall, the freshmen dorm at Florida Southern College in 1997.  Forgive the technical difficulties, but Chuck and I wanted to share a special, personalized rendition of one of my favorite songs he has ever written, "She Gets To Me". Appropriate for Valentine's Day.   

We'll work on the production quality of these clips going forward, but for now...just enjoy the magic of Chuck's lyrics; very appropriate for the season, Valentine's Day. (there's a bit of a delay, but as my grandfather used to say...it gives it charm...)  

I asked Chuck if it would be okay to post a video of "She Gets to Me". He totally went OneMoreStep, and wanted to share a personalized message with OneMoreStepRevolution followers.  Very, very cool.  Thanks for going one more step, Chuck.

Pardon a best friend's pride...enjoy the song, and Happy Valentine's Day.  Hope you "find the time to tell her" you like her...

Taylor 

Everybody's Talking...How About Listening?

Everybody’s Talking…How About Listening?

People that know me are probably rolling their eyes at the title of this post; because they know that I’m a talker...a former boss once told me that I could talk a dog off a meat truck.  It’s true that I do love talking to people.  However, in recent months and years I’ve learned that sometimes listening can be the OneMoreStep that makes an impact.

Listen…

Listening.  What a lost art in this country.  Jimmy Buffett covers a song originally released by Fred Neil in the 60’s, “Everybody’s Talkin’”.  The first line of the song is a microcosm of today’s business world, and today’s society, for that matter – “Everybody’s talkin’ at me…can’t hear a word they’re say’n…only echoes of my mind…” 

How often do you walk away from a conversation, meeting, or phone call thinking, “why won’t they just listen to me?”  Or here’s a scary thought – how often do people walk away from you wondering if you listened to a word they were saying? 

As leaders, mentors, teammates, friends, and even family members we have many opportunities to do something extra…to go OneMoreStep to make someone’s day.  Listening to an employee’s problem, a friend’s heartache, or a family member’s predicament are all golden opportunities to make them feel better.  For many of us, we forget that we can actually go OneMoreStep by saying nothing at all…sometimes merely listening is the one more step.  That employee, friend, teammate, or family member will walk away feeling better about their situation or problem because you allowed them to vent.  And…quick secret – they’ll walk away with a great feeling about you as a boss, friend, or loving family member…all because you listened.

A friend of mine from work called me earlier this evening.  She had a lot on her mind and shared with me several things going on in her department.   Before we hung up, she said, “Thanks so much for listening…” She was so sincere and I could tell she really appreciated that quick 10-minute conversation.

I smiled as I hung up the phone, and I texted her that ironically I was writing a post on listening right now.  She sent me a text back saying that she was so miserable in her last hotel because they never listened to her there…to the point where she felt invisible!  If that’s not proof enough that listening can make or break someone’s day, week, month, or total experience I don’t know what is. 

So next time you’re slammed, busy, and so focused on that next meeting or appointment…take that extra five minutes, go OneMoreStep for somebody that needs to talk to you.  Put down your Blackberry or i-Phone, make eye contact, and listen.  Sometimes the OneMoreStep is to stop what you’re doing, and listen.  It just might make someone’s day. 

PopPop & Bee…a couple of great listeners

I’m very lucky in that I grew up with my entire family in the same small town, Grayson, KY.  I had two great grandfathers; PopPop on my mom’s side and Bee on my Dad’s side.  That’s what we called them.  (don’t ask…long story…it’s just what we called them)

These two men were different in many ways, but they both shared one honorable trait. They listened more than they talked.  PopPop was a General Manager at a business in town for a few decades.  Everybody liked him.  I remember growing up I would go to town with him on Saturday mornings, and everybody we would walk by on the street would just light up and smile when they talked to PopPop.  I don’t think I ever heard anyone say one bad thing about him. 

We hosted a retirement party for him when he finally hung it up…I was young at the time, but I just remember a million people coming to that party at our house.  So many people respected him because he made them feel special.  He let others talk while he listened.  Don’t get me wrong; he would strike up a random conversation with a total rank stranger on a park bench at Disney World on vacation or in a random gymnasium at a high school basketball game…but once the conversation started, he would ask most of the questions and he actively listened as his new friend went on and on.  People loved him. 

Bee was a barber in Grayson for 50 years…yep, not a typo…50 years.  To this day, I get my haircut every 9 to 11 days because growing up, I had built in free haircuts and I liked to keep it tight.  I still do.  Bee was also a man of few words, but when he did finally get around to talking, he would make people laugh or smile without fail every time.  Even in our small town people had a choice when it came time for a haircut, but I’d say Bee had the majority of the market share.  He had a small shop, a block off Main Street with old walls, old chairs, old equipment, and an old TV.  However, multiple generations of people didn’t return for the comfort of the chairs over the years.  I’m convinced they kept going back because of how “Barber Bill” made them feel.  They talked.  He listened.  They felt better about life when they left the shop than when they came into the shop.  This was evident on any given Saturday morning…Bill’s Barber Shop was “the” place to be…PACKED with a bunch of men and boys; all talking.  Bee listened.

He would listen to story after story…tale after tale, as old men would go on and on about their farm or their grandchildren or their bad back…Bee would just go about his business combing, clipping, shaving, and listening to everything they had to say. 

Sometimes people would roll into Bill’s Barber Shop just to talk…and not even get a haircut!  People would just walk in, sit down, and start talking; sometimes to other patrons waiting to get their haircut…sometimes to Bee.  No matter to whom they were speaking, Bee always listened.

I’m not sure about you, but I’d rather be remembered as that one friend, boss, or family member that truly listens to people when they need it.  In today’s “get it done yesterday” world, if you are actually the one that stops and listens, you may actually be the exception to the rule.  That’s a golden opportunity to go OneMoreStep; that extra five minutes that everybody else just didn’t have time to take, but you did.  That may solidify that big deal, strengthen that relationship, or rekindle an old flame with that special someone. 

Go OneMoreStep this week…listen.

Have a great day.

Taylor

It's Friday...Finish Strong

“…the quickest way to get started is to stop talking, and begin doing.”    – Walt Disney

It’s Friday…Finish Strong

Friday morning.  The weekend is just on the other side of that last email, meeting, or phone call later today.  You could probably relax and take it easy after lunch, right?  Probably just mail it in from about 2pm on…coast through the afternoon, going through the motions as you count the minutes until happy hour.

Or...

you could be awesome…it’s up to you

You could attack your to do list this morning right off the bat…first crack out of the box.  Spend the first 15 minutes of your day thinking.  Rudy Giuliani says in his book, Leadership, that when he was Mayor, “the idea was to get as much work as possible out of the way in the first hour of the day.” Prioritize your list, and punch out the most annoying item on your list first.  Eat the Frog. 

Think about your competition…Sales Managers of your rival company; Travel Agents vying for the same clients you’re targeting; other entrepreneurs working on making their next big idea a billion dollar business before you do; the other applicants going for the same job you’re going for…they’ll probably mail it in today at 2pm and be the first ones at happy hour.  You could get that much ahead of the pack, if you finish strong, rather than slacking off just because it’s Friday.

Think about your teammates…your peers…your staff…your spouse…or even your boss.  Could anyone use an extra hand in completing a project?  Brainstorming an idea?  Drafting a proposal?  If you’ve busted it this week so far and have the extra capacity, offer up your services to someone else. 

That question you answered for somebody on Tuesday…call them back and ask them how that turned out, whatever that may have been.  That client you said you would get back to with an answer or a proposal by the first of the week, hit them with a surprising Friday afternoon call with some good news.  How about that staff member that came to you yesterday with a random question to which you didn’t have the answer right away…go get the answer, and follow up with them before they leave for their weekend.  You’ll make them feel like a million bucks because you cared enough to do that. 

So many opportunities to make magic today…don’t mail it in just because it’s Friday…Finish Strong.

“…hop to it…do good today…” – Kermit “the” Frog

Have a great day. 

Taylor 

Eat the Frog is from author, Brian Tracy

Keep Doing the Little Things...

If we don't do the little things...they won't trust us with the big things...

  

Keep doing the little things…

Do you ever wonder if your boss, your friends, your family, or your coworkers really understand just how much effort you put into things?  Doesn’t it seem like we just work and work and work…and stress and stress and stress to do our best?  For what?  Do people really care? 

Here’s my take…

What if we stopped doing all those little things? Think of the negative impact that would have on our bosses, friends, family, coworkers, etc.  The truth is sometimes the things that seem like menial tasks to us, mean the most to other people…yet we never really know how much we impact them.  So I say keep doing the little things.

If you’re a salesperson, keep taking that extra 30 minutes to think about how to ask the right questions in the right way to the appropriate people at your client companies.  That just might be the difference in closing the business or losing the business.

If you’re a schoolteacher, keep going in early to brush up your lesson plans for the day.  That just might be the extra attention to detail that leads to the magical “breakthrough moment” for a student that is struggling.

If you’re an event planner, keep going in on your days off for that one to three hours to make sure the event goes off without any problems.  That extra step might just be the reason you’re able to make someone’s party, event, or meeting one of the most magical and memorable days of their life.

If you lead a team, keep spending quality time with each individual team member.  Keep asking them what they’re enjoying about their experience at work, what they would like to change, and how you can help them achieve their next goal.  Those conversations with you might just be what keeps them getting out of bed each morning…your time spent talking with them may seem menial to you, but it may very well mean the world to them.

If you’re currently between jobs at the moment, keep sending those hand-written thank you cards to companies that granted you the interview.  Keep praying.  Keep serving.  Keep getting after it everyday.  That positive attitude will ultimately be what somebody somewhere will see in you, which will lead to those magical words – YOU’RE HIRED.  (I’ve been unemployed twice in the past 12 months…I get it.  Just keep going OneMoreStep…keep doing the little things.)

 OneMoreStep Stories…for the road

Three weeks ago I randomly had lunch in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas employee dining room with one of the Marketing executive administrative assistants.  I had only talked to this woman once before…ever…and even then our interaction was nothing more than me looking to score a quick notepad and ink pen on my first week of work. 

As our lunch conversation progressed, we were truly beginning to enjoy each other’s company.  She told me all about how she and her husband had moved to Vegas from the east coast, and that they lived in a master planned, age 55 and over community on a golf course, which they totally love.  I of course asked more about the golf course, what hole they lived on, what it’s like living on the course, etc.  She went on to tell me how they have hundreds of golf balls in their garage because so many people hit them into their backyard. 

I made a few joking comments about how I’m “that guy” that would hit balls into her yard because I’m not a very good golfer, and I always lose balls that way.  I asked her if she and her husband used all the golf balls they find in the yard…she said they really just sit there in the garage…and we left it at that. 

Today I came out of the Marketing Conference Room and happened to walk right passed her desk…she says, “hey Taylor, come here a sec”.  She hands me what looks like a carton of eggs in a plastic bag.  When I grabbed the bag from her I quickly realized that the carton was filled with…yep…golf balls.  She had remembered our conversation from three weeks ago, and actually thought to bring me golf balls.  She not only heard me say that I always lose golf balls, but she also went OneMoreStep and brought golf balls all the way into work for little old me.  I’m up 12 golf balls now! 

One of the Supervisors on my team loves the color – Purple; which is fitting because the Cosmopolitan logo and much of our branding is in fact purple.  She has purple nail polish, a purple purse, a purple cell phone, a purple hair clip, purple rings…she just loves purple.  She also loves M&M’s, and makes that known to our staff.  The team has quickly learned that they can bribe her with M&M’s to get those special scheduling requests magically approved, etc. 

This particular Supervisor truly does great work, and is very well liked by all of our staff.  The team wanted to do something to show her how much they appreciate her and how much they love her as their Supervisor. 

The team all pitched in, and ordered her a gift – M&M’s…but wait it gets better…when she opened up the package tonight she realized they were ALL PURPLE M&M’s!  But wait…it gets better…on each M&M were inscriptions with little quick one or two word kudos, ”We love u”…”Thank you for…” etc, etc. all personalized to her.  The team not only got a gift for their Supervisor, they went OneMoreStep and thought about what she would like to have – M&M’s, and they went even OneMOREStep, making them all PURPLE…and OneMOREStep to put the little kudos phrases on all the M&M’s.  The Supervisor was so touched, not because of the M&M’s, but really because of the thought that went into the gift.  Very cool…and just a little example of how going OneMoreStep can truly make magic for someone.

Have a great day.
 

Taylor