Be A Johnny Today
74. Be a Johnny Today.
Many ask, “How can someone like me make a difference?” Let me share with you The Simple Truths of Service inspired by Johnny the Bagger and written by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz. A supermarket chain challenged its employees to do what they could to make a difference in their customers’ experience at their stores. One person left the meeting wondering how he could make a difference since he was handicapped and there was little that he could do, and what would his effort matter for he was only a bagger. So with some help from his family, he decided he would put a positive saying for the day into each bag he packed. Weeks later, many noticed that his line was longer than any other lines to check out from the store. When they suggested that the customers in line go to a checker that was open for quicker service, this is the response they heard: “I want to wait in this line so I can get Johnny’s saying of the day.”
Many of us fall into the trap of believing we can’t make a difference due to our employment, status or physical limitations. The truth is you affect everyone you come into contact with each day. The way you approach anything you do drastically affects the people you encounter each day. I hope this story illustrates the power you have to affect others no matter what it is you do or how limited you are. If you need a further example, think of those who assist us from day to day. There are many jobs that people can just show up for and get a paycheck. We don’t think much about it as long as they do the job to some minimal level of competence. What we always remember are those people who do their job above and beyond the level of duty. My own personal plug, nurses do a job way above the level of what we would consider acceptable. I hope your experience has been like mine that nurses do a job that most of us could never do and they do it at a level that I still have a hard time believing. Making a difference is the hardest when you feel that your job has little influence. I am here to tell you, your job is important no matter how insignificant you think you are.
This Tool applies to any job from the most prestigious to the lowest hourly wage. To be honest, I think it most applies to the jobs that may feel insignificant. Using a personal experience, I hope to shed light on the power of this application. During the process of completing this book, I had the opportunity to take a vacation to Mexico. On the trip I had the unfortunate luck of breaking my big toe and had to cut my trip short and fly back to the States to determine the damage. Unable to walk, I was carted by wheelchair from flight to flight and from flight to baggage claim. It was an experience that I was embarrassed to endure. What I mean is, big guy, broken toe. I know, very sad, but I truly couldn’t walk. Also for the record, I wasn’t drinking when I broke it. All the people who helped me along the connections were the best. It was the woman at the Sacramento airport that made me feel like a king. When you have to wait for a wheelchair coming off a flight with a broken toe, you feel kind of silly. When the chair arrived, the lady assigned to take me to my bags was one of the happiest/nicest people I’ve ever met. She made me feel like I was a VIP and that the injury I had was serious. She cared for me and joked with me the whole way. I just could not believe that she approached her job in such a positive way. She had no reason to do this besides just making the most she could of her job and making my experience the best she could. Her name was Shannon Colman and she made me feel like I was the most important person in that airport. I put her name in my iPhone to make sure I wrote a note to thank her. I hope this does her enough justice. When you think your job is insignificant and you can‘t make a difference, just try your best to be a Johnny.