To Serve or Not To Serve?

How many times a day are you presented with occasions to be of service to your fellow man? Do you actively look for them or do you avoid them? What's your position on the subject? Do you see "service" as being an obligation or an opportunity, something to be grudgingly tolerated or readily embraced?

These are challenging questions to consider because of the differing perspectives we all have on the topic. 

Some see service as a pain-in-the-ass inconvenience...an infringement on their time and a drain on their energy. These "me oriented" folks aren't likely to jump on the service bandwagon unless they stand to realize some tangible, direct, personal benefit as a result of doing so. They're not predisposed to extend themselves even for something as insignificant as holding the door or offering to carry a bag of groceries to a fellow shopper's car. They simply can't be bothered!

The flip side, of course, are those people who not only don't avoid service opportunities but actively seek them out. They see service as a vehicle for personal growth and recognize that we elevate ourselves every time we contribute to another person's life, even if it's only in some borderline barely-noticeable way. 

Now just to be clear, I'm not suggesting you have to adopt a Mother Teresa-like approach to service. But the more you're able to suppress your own ego and see service as a genuine privilege, the more YOU (ironically) will get out of it. Consider this another example of the "you have to give in order to receive" way of going about life.

Tony Robbins identifies contribution as being one of the six essential human needs, and one of the easiest ways to fulfill that need is be of service to the people we routinely encounter in our day-to-day lives. This doesn't require grandiose gestures or huge expenditures of time, energy and/or money! Quite the contrary. Very often the smallest gestures register the biggest impact.

Something as seemingly insignificant as taking a few extra minutes to attentively and sympathetically listen to someone's problems can be a powerful act of service.  

Where this attitude really pays dividends is in the business world. Companies that embrace a "raving fan" customer service model typically dominate their market or niche. They recognize that their success and longevity are almost entirely dependent on customers who aren't merely "satisfied," but are off-the-charts ecstatic! And that's a state that doesn't come about by accident. It requires a thoughtful and aware assessment of the company's relationship with its customers, and a willingness to exceed their expectations through strategic and meaningful service initiatives. 

Notice the words "willingness to exceed expectations" in the previous sentence. They are the essence of a focused service mentality. Because people (in general) are so unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of unexpected acts of service and contribution, any efforts you make to be there for them and address their needs will be welcome and highly appreciated. On top of that, this approach usually leads to boatloads of money.

The late speaker/author, Stuart Wilde, in his book "The Trick To Money Is Having Some," had this to say about service: 

"The point here is that in order to serve people, you have to psychologically get underneath them. This does not mean that you are less than those you serve; it just means that while you are serving them, you have to subjugate your ego and your personality to their needs. That is difficult for most people because they need to feel that they are above the customer, or at the very least, equal to the customer. 

But who is above or below, who is more clever or more rich, is irrelevant to the transaction. By getting underneath, keeping silent and concentrating on the customer's needs, you give of yourself. The customer feels that transfer of energy and responds. Learning to serve is one of the great money-making tricks in life. You subjugate your anxiety, your anguish, and your needs in favor of the customer's...long enough to do the deal. In serving there is the pleasure of doing things well. You learn humility and make loads of money."

So how many atypical, not-easily-forgotten ways do you serve your customers and clients? What kind of customer response usually accompanies them? And how do these things end up bolstering your bottom line?