Yesterday morning I opened the door to our lower deck and let the dog out and I was shocked. Rather than seeing the signs of early spring in our back yard, I saw white stuff everywhere. Everything outside was covered with new fallen snow. And it was still coming down.
It looked beautiful.
But it took me by surprise because it was April 5. And even here in the “North Country” it’s rare to have everything covered in snow this late in the season. Especially since we’ve already enjoyed some 50 and 60 degree days.
I wasn’t especially pleased because we’ve had a long, cold winter. I have been ready for spring since January 10. So the snow was a slight disappointment. But that’s life. Nothing I can do will change our weather. I can either complain about it. Or I can enjoy the positive aspects of it and move on. (I chose the latter.)
Often our jobs can be like this. We get to work with a certain expectation. Then something goes wrong and the result is a customer is unhappy. And they’re telling us about it. Depending on the particulars, that could ruin a person’s day.
But it doesn’t have to.
We might not control what we’re confronted with each day. But we do control how we respond. We might not appreciate having a “challenging” situation right away as we begin our day, but often that’s beyond our control. It’s a fact of life we have to deal with.
How we deal with it determines the experience our customer will have. Their experience will influence their loyalty. Their loyalty, when combined with the rest of our customers, can affect the financial health of our company. And that can determine whether or not we have a job.
So, choosing to give our best effort as we face a tough situation can actually lead to a good thing, like job security! But even better, creating a positive response to a challenging situation puts us back in the driver’s seat. It reminds us we control our attitudes and actions. It’s also a great way to reduce stress because it helps us focus on things we do control and not what we don’t.
Next time you’re confronted with a situation you neither expected nor wanted, ask yourself:
1. What do you control,
2. What outcomes do you want
3. What actions and beliefs might be required to accomplish those outcomes.
Then, as the commercial says, just do it. You’ll find your day goes better and your customers will be much more loyal.
