In the Bible, Jesus gives His followers a challenge with the following words.
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
I loves these words because they remind me of the power of going the extra mile in serving others.
Yesterday, I wrote about former Ritz Carlton CEO Horst Schulze and the value he places on laying a proper foundation with new team members.
During his orientation process one of the things Schulze emphasizes is this idea of extra mile service. It has led him to create extraordinary hotels around the world.
Schulze has hired great people, personally trained them, and then created space for them to go the extra mile.
In his words, “We are superior to the competition because we hire employees who work in an environment of belonging and purpose. That is my mantra. We foster a climate where the employee can deliver what the customer wants. You cannot deliver what the customer wants by controlling the employee. Employees who are controlled cannot respond caringly, you need superior knowledge and real leadership, not management. Because of this we specifically developed a selection process for leaders; we don’t hire managers.”
Creating room for his team members to love and care for guests has led to some pretty amazing “extra mile” service.
One example, according to Schulze, is a night bellman who went with a guest to the hospital (the guest had appendicitis) and stayed all night with him. Schulze says, “That’s who we are.”
As you look at your life and your team, is that who you are? Do you have an extra mile mindset?
If not, you are missing out on one of the most powerful leadership principles ever taught.
Leaders go the extra mile and coach their teams to do the same.
I encourage you to identify a need in your leadership world today and then double the effort that is required to meet that need.
If you will, someone is going to be blown away. And that someone might just be you.
Leadership Begins at Home,
Randy
When was the last time you saw someone go the extra mile in their service and what was the result?
Comment Below …
Recent Comments