No Fuss, Just Values.....

Earlier this week I travelled to a meeting about an hour away from home. I arrived at the client premises and was made welcome at Reception, where I signed in and was invited to make myself comfortable (I had arrived slightly early).

I was met by a colleague of the person I had expected to meet, whom it turned out had experienced an incident whilst travelling back on the M6 to meet me and would be severely delayed. She was okay and, mindful of our meeting, had actually phoned in to the office before phoning the AA!

Under the circumstances it would have been entirely reasonable for apologies to be conveyed and the suggestion be made that we reschedule - that's not what happened here.

Actually the first part did, however it was followed by an offer of a brew and a chat, accompanied by an acknowledgment of the distance I had driven. No fuss then, just a really flexible, considerate and professional response.

An hour and a bit later I set off home, having experienced a highly stimulating, enjoyable and uplifting conversation. I really appreciated this experience.

Yesterday I was in Liverpool for meetings and, whilst enjoying a brief lunch of 'hot wings' and espresso (I realise now that's not an easy combination) I observed a member of staff from the same outlet promptly stopping what he was doing and attending to a spilt milk shake (a whole milk shake – imagine how much mess that made…), carefully clearing up every drop and placing a 'Wet Floor' sign over the affected area to avoid a potentially nasty slip. No fuss then, just a really flexible, considerate and professional response.

I returned to the venue for my afternoon meeting (the same lounge area as for my morning meeting), to be asked if I'd like to order tea or coffee. I wasn't ready for more caffeine just yet, and was awaiting the arrival of the person I was due to meet. The member of staff returned a moment or two later to ask if I'd like a glass of water instead - now that was just what I needed (particularly after the 'hot wings'). No fuss.......

So three very different but very positive examples, with a common theme - all uplifting in their own way and generating a really positive sense of the values of the organisations they represent.

And this is important in my view. We generally have some choice as to where we buy our lunches and hold our meetings. If we're fortunate, as I am, we can also choose the people and organisations we wish to work with. Interactions with people at all levels have the opportunity to contribute to our sense of the values and culture of their organisation.

How do people experience your organisation?

Chris Malings
OD Practice – OD Consultant
The Beech Centre for People, Performance and Organisational Development