When I was of middle school age, my family summer vacation consisted of a day at a water park. My brother and I loved this idea! We went on every ride and raft possible, except for one. From the ground, this one slide looked amazing and everyone who went on it was screaming their hearts out on the descent. My brother and I looked at each other and decided we wanted to go down that slide. As we climbed the steps we delighted in the screams we heard from the passengers riding down the 60-degree angle slide. Being the big sister, I was to be the first to go on the slide. I put the plastic surf-boggan under me and was waiting for the ride operator to ask me if I was prepared. He did not and suddenly the platform underneath me tilted to start my descent down the slide. Only I didn’t go, my arms shot out to my sides to hold me back. Looking down that slide and realizing it was only as wide as I was scared the hell out of me. All of a sudden thoughts of plummeting off the side of the slide filled my mind. The platform beneath me went horizontal again and the ride operator asked me what was wrong. “You didn’t ask me if I was ready!” I screamed. He asked if I was ready now and I said no. I took my surf-boggan and put it back on the pile and walked to the top of the long staircase. I asked my brother if he still wanted to go down the ride and that I would meet him at the bottom. My 2 ½ year younger brother said no, he would walk down with me. I don’t believe he was scared of the ride as I suddenly became, this was his moment to be the big brother that he never could be for me. By the time we walked down the steps we were ready to go back to another ride we previously enjoyed.
Every day in the workplace we have “fight or flight” moments, most are not to the extreme of my story above. Yet, we have decisions to make regarding co-workers, customers, manufacturers, etc. that affect us in how we deal with them. These moments can also happen within the confines of a meeting; you have the ability to bring your ideas forward or you sit back and allow others to lead and present their ideas, knowing that your ideas are just as good or better.
If we allow the flight moments to take over, then we start to offer sub-par customer service. We start to allow quotes to take longer than they should; we lollygag in returning phone calls to customers or manufacturers. We start to get lazy. Laziness spreads like wildfire and once one co-worker sees another exhibiting this, they start to do it as well. Suddenly the moral of the workplace and level of service plummet.
Fight moments allow us to shine and provide top-notch customer service. We strive to provide customers with timely quotes, timely order status, and timely information. This dedication to be the best we can be for ourselves and others is perseverance. When the laziness threatens like a storm on the horizon, persevere through it and continue to challenge others as well as yourself (not to a dual or anything, keep that kind of challenge on the playground).
Persevering through the good times and the bad times will help to make you a well-rounded employee who is willing and able to deal with anything.
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