Title:

Job: Making Magic Moments.

Margaret Atter joined ClubCorp 29 years ago, and has been serving members at the company’s University Club, a private city club in Jacksonville, Florida for the last 27 of those years.

An Extra Miler, in the true sense, Margaret personifies Discretionary Effort, or “OOMPH!”, as we call it in our book, Contented Cows Moove Faster.

Last week, Margaret was recognized by the North Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, with its Rose Award, in the category of Guest Services – Private Clubs. The Rose Award is the top award for service excellence in the hospitality industry in this region. She was nominated by her club manager, Hank Carrico, based on her years of remarkably excellent service delivery – service that is evidenced by more than 1,300 positive comments made to management about Margaret over the course of just the last ten years or so.

Here’s just one example of the kind of Extra Miler service that Margaret coordinates, on a routine basis, for University Club members. Not long ago, a member hosted a birthday dinner for the daughter of friends. The honoree was born with Down Syndrome, and the occasion was her 40th birthday. Margaret said, “Let’s make this event really special.” She organized special decorations for the party’s table, had the club staff sign an oversized birthday card for the woman, and arranged for her favorite meal – chicken fingers and fries – which isn’t exactly on the University Club’s regular menu. At the end of the dinner, the birthday girl put her head on her mom’s shoulder, and through tears, said, “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

Magic Moments. It’s part of ClubCorp’s avowed mission – creating Magic Moments for their members and their guests. Margaret told me, “I love this job. Service is what I do. It’s all I’ve ever done. I get a kick out of taking care of our members. I love making memories.”

Have you got “Margarets” in your organization? If so, take a lesson from Hank, and the rest of the team at ClubCorp and the University Club. Hire people with a passion for service (like Margaret); give them a clear, compelling mission (like Making Magic Moments); give them the tools and latitude to do the job (like serving chicken fingers instead of filet mignon); support and reward them when they go above and beyond (like Hank did in nominating Margaret to be among the 250 people considered for the Rose Award); and then get out of their way. Because they’re comin’ through to knock the socks off your customers!

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and Bill are the authors of the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk, and Contented Cows MOOve Faster, and the brand new book Rebooting Leadership. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

Daniel Hernandez

Were I still a corporate recruiter, I would have been on the phone this morning with University of Arizona junior, Daniel Hernandez talking about his future. With both words and deeds, Mr. Hernandez has, since last Saturday’s Tucson massacre, demonstrated many of the essential requirements of being a leader, at any level. Here are four that quickly come to mind:

Courage – Leaders are those we can count on to do the right thing, even when it is difficult, dangerous, or unpopular. Wading unarmed into a free fire zone to administer aid and comfort to one’s teammates certainly qualifies. While thankfully leaders don’t often have to get shot at to prove their mettle, our people do expect to see us personally absorbing some of the risk and punishment that is headed their way.

Decisive – Leaders must have the willingness and ability to act in the face of adversity, uncertainty, and the absence of guidelines. Mr. Hernandez had no clue what lay ahead when he jumped in to assist U.S. Rep., Gabrielle Giffords. It is doubtful that in his young life he had taken courses or read anything that told him to act, but act he did. Especially in today’s risk averse corporate environment, recruiters should screen and probe diligently to ensure that all candidates destined for a management position can demonstrate this quality.

Able to Focus and Communicate – As one who makes a significant portion of his living speaking to large audiences, I can vouch for the fact that efficiently and persuasively articulating a cogent message before a sea of faces (let alone the President of the United States and a world-wide tv audience) can be daunting. Doing it the for the first time on short notice, with short rest, no teleprompter or notes (even on the palm of your hand) is remarkable.

Humility – One of the greatest challenges I find leaders struggling with is the realization that leading is not about “them”, but about others. Given a perfect opportunity to grandstand or take a victory lap, Mr. Hernandez chose instead to deflect hero status to others he deemed more deserving, and focus instead on a powerful message. His behavior stands in stark contrast to a population that at times seems entirely too self-absorbed.

In a nutshell, I don’t know what young Mr. Hernandez wants to do with his life, but I do know this… We could do worse than look for “Hernandez-like” qualities as we go about searching for tomorrow’s leaders.

*****

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. He is co-author of the new released book, Rebooting Leadership. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard Hadden, and their work, please visit their website, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ContentedCows

One can’t help but be struck by the example of School Board Superintendent, Bill Husfelt, who, despite having a 9mm pistol pointed at him, calmly but decisively told the gunman to let the other school board members leave, since he (not they) was responsible for any beef the man had with the board. Then, having been excused from the room, board member, Ginger Littleton sneaked back in and attempted to disarm the gunman, armed only with, get this… her purse. I can only imagine what the two beltway bozos would have said and done were the roles reversed.

The leadership lesson for the rest of us: Leaders don’t whine, and they certainly don’t hide behind other people or things when faced with the more difficult aspects of their responsibility. They stand and deliver, not because they are unafraid, but because they know it is the right thing to do. Those of us who have similarly accepted the mantle of leadership encounter our own moments of truth when we:

• Are expected to announce and implement an unpopular policy
• Are faced with telling someone the truth about their job performance
• Must tell an old friend that they either need to change or leave
• Need to stick up for someone who is being abused or mistreated, and, to be sure,
• Own up to our own mistakes

When faced with such moments, we could do worse than follow the example set by the folks from the school board. That’s my $.02 worth. As always, your comments are welcome.

*****
A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard Hadden, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ContentedCows

Alexander McCall Smith

“They had bought a supply of superior Finnish paper, they revealed, and would keep some of this for Isabel if she wished; a sample was enclosed. The offer reminded her of her obliging butcher, who, from time to time would pull something out from under the counter and say that he’d been keeping it for her, some delicious cut that he thought she would particularly appreciate.  Small acts of commercial friendship, binding together customer and provider.”

These days, “small acts of commercial friendship” are especially appreciated by customers. And especially savvy on the part of providers, most of whom need to explore every way possible to win the loyalty of customers who have less disposable income, and usually more choices, than ever before.

I like it when Shenequa, my Starbucks barista, sees me approaching the store and fills a cup with my “usual”, a tall Pike Place, and then asks me how my family (every member of which she knows by name) is doing.

Likewise, I appreciate it when I stay at one of the chain of Kimpton Hotels, and they automatically provide me with feather pillows and a room near the elevator. Sure, they got that info from an online profile that I filled out, and so it’s different from Shenequa’s personal gesture, but it’s no less appreciated.

I enjoy reading comments from the customers of a bank for which we manage a customer satisfaction survey. It’s not uncommon to read something like “I love this bank. My banker called me last week to tell me about a special CD offer you had. He remembered me saying, months ago, that I wanted something short term with higher interest. It wasn’t a lot of money, so I was surprised he remembered. I won’t forget that.”

In an increasingly impersonal world, these small, but important acts are distinctive, and memorable, whether they originate from a highly sophisticated customer relationship management system, or the attentiveness of a caring employee or business owner.

What could you do, today, to demonstrate your “commercial friendship”, to bind you and a valued customer closer together?

*******************************

Richard Hadden (twitter at http://twitter.com/rehadden) is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and Bill are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

Businesses that choose to tap into the discretionary effort (we call it Oomph!) of an engaged workforce unencumbered by an uninvited third party need to routinely (as in consistently) take measures which make it unnecessary for people to look outside the organization for representation. Like what? Like…

Listening – Really listening, both personally and institutionally. One of the absolute requirements for selecting managers ought to be communications skills – including the propensity for listening. People who can’t or won’t routinely evidence understanding of the fact that they were issued two ears and exactly one mouth have no business leading others. One way to augment listening on an institutional level is to diligently use employee surveys, with the results tracked across time at both the unit and leader level, and used as a significant piece of the organization’s performance metrics.

Making Sure that No One Is Abused or Humiliated – In a speech at the Armed Forces Staff College (Delos C. Emmons Lecture Series), Major General Melvin Zais suggested that leaders who push people around because they can are “a little man with a little job and a big head.” I’ll take it a step further and suggest that they are not leaders at all, and need to be on someone else’s payroll, preferably a competitor’s.

Treating People Fairly & Providing an Avenue for Problem Resolution – One of the chief things that drives employees into the arms of a labor union is the lack of an internal mechanism for resolving workplace problems. As a matter of course, each of us wants to know where we can go to get a fair hearing and resolution if/when we think we’re being treated unfairly. Smart organizations realize that it is far better to provide that avenue internally rather than leaving it to the courts and other outsiders.

Showing Up When People are Having a Tough Time – When everything is said and done, leadership is personal. We either gain or lose our folks one heart at a time. One important way to earn the benefit of the doubt in a world that has become entirely too crusty, cynical and self-absorbed is to be there, in person, whenever someone on your team is having a tough time. Don’t send them a Tweet or an email, show up.

If you’re unwilling to do these things day in and day out, regardless of the economic weather, then you don’t deserve (and likely won’t get) the benefit of the doubt of your workforce when it comes to deploying their discretionary effort, or for that matter, voting “No” in a representation election.

*****
A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard Hadden, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ContentedCows

Since our first book, I’ve written and spoken extensively about the company’s high performance culture in which going the extra mile is the rule and not the exception. Though I’ve been gone 20 years, chills ran down my spine this morning when I read an internal account written by a fellow employee of lengths the company and its employees went to in order to pay respects to the fallen pilots and their families. Some excerpts…

“As all of you know, one of the fallen pilots was based in San Antonio.  First Officer Tony Pino is a retired Air Force officer and has been flying with FedEx for a little over 3 years. On Friday the 13th of this month, Pino jumpseated out of San Antonio for the last time with a promise to his wife that he would be home Thursday the 26th.  Today, we received about 12 of the Pino family and friends on the ramp, along with 35 uniformed pilots and approx 70 of our FedEx family to fulfill that promise.

” In Narita, Japan there were a number of pilots in full uniform to present the remains of both pilots to the aircraft and see the flight off.  In Oakland for a “gas and go” there were 25+ full uniformed pilots that went up the stairs and paid respects to the fallen ones.  In MEM a full color guard received the two and took them to a hangar where Fred Smith, Dave Bronczek and a large number of executives received 400-500 pilots and personnel that were bused to pay respects.  My understanding is that Mr. Smith was there for the duration.  People signed a book for each family.

“After which, Captain Mosely was flown to Portland Oregon this morning where the Ramp Team received the family and had approx 80 employees lined up on the nose dock.  Their operation was without any issues or concerns and was a very moving presentation according to the Senior Manager.

“F/O Pino was taken to a MEM funeral home and escorted for 12 hours by 2 crew until time for the day-turn show time.  A full honor presentation accompanied the loading.  Flowers were also sent to the MEM funeral home and all of those were loaded on our flight 379 along with crewmen (2 were formal escorts). Our pilots were not ever left without escort from Japan until the funerals and will not be unless the family requests otherwise.

“At San Antonio, it rained today until approx 1400hrs, skies cleared and the sun came out.  It was a beautiful afternoon.  We received the family and parked them on the tarmac at approx 1650hrs along with the guests and uniformed crew.  We made arrangements to have the flight land on the closest runway and touched down straight across from our ramp with a perfect landing.  The aircraft blocked at 1734hrs and the flowers from Mr. Smith  (gorgeous 6’ tall arrangement) and the book signed by all in MEM were presented to the widow and 3 boys.  Tony’s mother and other family were also present.

“The body was covered with the American flag and the pilots and honor guard stayed at full attention then moved to salute when the pallet started in motion forward.  It was lowered and the honor guard stepped up on the loader.  Mrs. Pino came forward with her son, hugged the casket and spent a few moments with her late husband.  She retreated and the transfer was completed to the hearse with proper respect and military bearing.

“I have a ramp agent that indicated in his 32 years with FedEx it was the proudest moment he has experienced.  Our FedEx Team did an exceptional job of honoring these two pilots. Our loader operator, stairs, marshaller and others were absolutely perfect in their execution. One of the pilots authorized to be here was in full UPS uniform and he was absolutely awed by the respectfulness.

“We still work for the best company in the world because we fill it with the best people in the world!  Please feel free to share this with your teams as they also should know as well.”

As we go about trying to figure out what is (and what should be) the new normal in our post-AIG world, it pays to remember that there can still be places where people care about each other, and where work is something more than a pure commercial transaction. That ain’t all bad.

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard Hadden, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

Not only was Jim a member of the church staff, he was an active member of the congregation. For years, he’d lent his deep bass voice to the choir, and to gospel quartets. And every year, he’d go to New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen to minister to people who were homeless, and those with HIV/AIDS.

As was noted by the minister who spoke at Jim’s service, no one at the funeral was there out of a sense of duty, or because they were simply members of the church, but because they had, in some direct way, been touched by this humble man of goodwill. That’s why I was there.

Jim would have deserved to be called an Extra Miler solely on the basis of how he performed the job he was paid to do. He was always MOOving Fast. His standard was excellence. He consistently went above and beyond requirements in his work.

But it was what he did quietly, on his own time, to help others, that earned him the respect shown by the full pews at his funeral. One example of what was routine for Jim: One Sunday a single mother happened to mention, in a group, that her lawn mower had broken down, mid-mow, the day before. Jim didn’t say anything, but he showed up that afternoon, mowed her lawn, and fixed her mower.

Hats off to Jim Daloisi. A perfect picture of an Extra Miler.

Sharon’s idea #11:

Our CEO always tells us to “catch someone doing something good” and then to recognize and reward them for it.  To help do that, all associates at all levels are able to give QCS (quality customer service) awards to anyone who goes the extra mile either for a customer or a co-worker.  A QCS award can be anything, from cash to a gift, up to a $50 value, and can be given immediately, which contributes to the effectiveness of the reward.  In addition to the immediate rewards, quarterly winners are chosen from each our 8 banks, and those quarterly winners win a lunch for themselves and their supervisor with the CEO and other top management at their location, as well as a trophy and $500.  To top it off, at the end of the year, all quarterly winners attend a nice dinner off-site with their supervisors as well as the CEO and other top management at their bank, and at that dinner, the annual overall QCS winner is awarded with another trophy plus $1,000.  Then, each of the 8 bank winners come together at our Corporate headquarters for lunch with their CEO and the Corporate CEO, and one of their names is drawn for a cash prize of $5,000!

To make sure everyone is aware of the QCS award winners, monthly publications are issued with the names of all associates receiving and giving QCS awards.  As space permits, stories that led to the rewards are also published.  Additional quarterly and annual editions of the QCS newsletters announce those winners and tell their stories, and show their pictures when they were presented their award by management.

It’s a really great program!  It has achieved for us great customer service ratings from shoppers (consistently above 95%), as well as a continual stream of very nice notes from customers, which also get published in the QCS newsletter (with the name of the customers withheld).

Thanks Sharon for your idea, which not only improves employee retention, but customer retention and development as well! And thanks to all those who took the time to let us hear from you with your ideas.

Richard and Bill

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is an author, seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and Bill are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

In her piece for the October 6 edition of Nation’s Restaurant News Dina Berta recounted an incredible story about Marcus Gilbert, the owner of a Charley’s Grilled Subs franchise in Orem, Utah helping out one of his employees who needed a kidney transplant. It seems that the employee, Juan Delgado is part time, and Gilbert is only able to provide health insurance for full timers, so he found another way to help, by, get this… donating one of his own kidneys.

Mr. Gilbert’s selfless act reminds us of an expression used by Chick-fil-A’s C.O.O., Dan Cathy in conducting training for managers at new store openings: “When a team member is enduring a personal hardship, we want you to go above and beyond for that person. When you do, you will have their full attention when you talk about going above and beyond for our customers.”

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

Business partner, Richard Hadden and I rendezvous there two or three times a year and catch a lecture by a business chieftan or other notable. Though it’s a long trip from our respective domiciles, we’ve never been disappointed in the experience. Anyhow, the text of the email follows, unedited. Consistent with our experiences with these folks, I thought it was a class act. Clearly, these folks are going the extra mile.

Last night, my wife and I celebrated her birthday at Nashville’s Sommet Center, enjoying a rocking performance by another guy known as, “The Boss.” Together with his E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen performed all the oldies and goodies for an enthusiastic audience that included Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, Amy Grant, Martina McBride, and Kim Carnes. Totally aware of his surroundings, the Boss nearly brought the house down with an Elvis-inspired version of “Good Rocking Tonight,” followed by a soulful rendition of Johny Cash’s, “I Walk the Line.”

Notwithstanding the fact that Springsteen’s music is about as good as it ever was, I came away dutifully impressed by his and the band’s willingness to  give it up for an appreciative mid-week audience. After starting the customary 45 minutes late (I still don’t get that part), they performed nonstop for three hours, doing at least twenty minutes of encore to a standing ovation. Those in the vicinity of St. Louis, Kansas City, and Milwaukee would do well to go see them before the “Magic Tour” calls it quits.

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

Talk about someone who does meaningful work! His story is much too long to detail in this blog, and I certainly can’t do him justice. Besides, he’s been written about in Inc, Fast Company, and tons of other publications, and you can read about him there.

In a nutshell, Bill Strickland is a social innovator who runs a company to train and give substantive (not empty) hope to poor inner-city kids, welfare mothers, and others in the Manchester area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s taking his highly successful model, which educates people in the visual, culinary, and other arts, and replicating it across the country now.

Here’s just a little of what Strickland said, that stuck in my mind:

• “The only difference between rich people and poor people is that poor people don’t have any money.”
• “People’s behavior is a function of how they’re treated.” (Where have we heard that before?)
• “We have fresh flowers all over the center, because these people deserve to see fresh flowers.”
• When he had his center designed in Pittsburgh, he wanted it to be flooded with light. The people who learn there have lots of darkness in their lives. Strickland knew that light would change their outlook, and their behavior. It has.
• The walls of his center are covered in valuable art. Skeptics told him the art would be trashed within a month. In the 22 years since he started the practice, there’s never been an act of vandalism at the center. Reminds me of a point made by John Houseman in the classic training film, Brain Power, by Karl Albrecht, in which Houseman reminds us, “We get what we expect to get. What are you expecting?”

We heard lots of polished, eloquent speakers at the NSA convention. Bill Strickland was not one of them. It was, instead, his message, not his delivery, that blew me away.

Thanks, Bill Strickland, for being an Extra-Miler.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and his co-author and business partner Bill Catlette, are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

In short, what I hear Ms. Nooyi saying is, be an optimist. You will get further in life, and far greater measure of a person’s best effort when you expect the best, rather than the worst.

I was reminded of the whole optimism thing this past weekend, while watching tributes to former Fox News editor and White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow. In a video clip now permanently seared into my memory, while at the White House lectern, Snow, knowing that he had colon cancer remarked, “Not everybody will survive cancer, but you’ve got the gift of life – make the most of it.”

Ms. Lawrence is clearly a remarkable woman, 16 years old, a junior in high school, who excels academically, and runs a highly successful corporation. After highlighting all of her superlatives, her accomplishments, her success, and her wealth, the reporter, Bob Dotson, asked her “So how do you explain all this to your boyfriends?”

What a bozo! I had really hoped that as a society we had evolved beyond that. A lot of us have, but apparently not Mr. Dotson and his producers at The Today Show. No wonder some women say they aren’t taken seriously in business. How long is it going to take before these tired, useless notions finally get washed out of the media, and the workplace?

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and his co-author and business partner Bill Catlette, are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

My dad was a Motor Machinist Mate on a couple of supply ships in the South Pacific. Born in 1926, he was only 15 when the US entered World War II, but a year later, he fudged his age on the application, and joined the Navy. After the war, with the help of the mechanical training he received in the Navy, he became a typewriter repairman, and later ran his own office machine company until he retired.

My wife’s father was a Sergeant Major in the Gordon Highlanders, a Scottish regiment of the British Army. He was a tank commander, and fought for more than three years on the ground in Burma, the present-day Myanmar that we’ve heard so much about in recent weeks, since the May 2 cyclone devastated much of the country.

These are just two of the millions of people worldwide, who have served freedom-loving countries in modern times. Some of these were drafted, but their service is no less heroic or appreciated. Others, like my dad and Jim, volunteered, went above and beyond what was required, because they wanted to serve.

These two – the sailor and the soldier – are rarely out of my mind. I see and hear reminders of them all around me. But today, especially, I remember them, for what they chose to do in service of their respective countries. Take a minute and remember, and be thankful for, someone you know who’s done the same.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and his co-author and business partner Bill Catlette, are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

Yesterday I attended a scholarship luncheon for the Meninak Club, a local service organization to which I belong. Each year, the Meninaks award a $5,000 scholarship to each of 5 of deserving area students. Before this year’s recipients were recognized, a previous award winner addressed the group to thank them for the opportunity they had given her a number of years ago. The day before, she had graduated with her doctorate in pharmacy, and would soon begin a job with a prestigious medical center, after spending the summer volunteering her services in South Africa.

As each honoree took the podium to deliver his or her acceptance speech, my spirit soared with hope for yet another generation of young people. There were no slackers among the group. Each student had a history of going above and beyond, in academics, some in athletics, all in community service. It was great to see their Extra Mile attitudes being recognized and rewarded.

On the other hand, I was saddened last week to hear of four middle schoolers, expelled from their private school in our city for illegal drug trade and use. These kids were granted enormous opportunities, and they each chose to squander their gifts and to take a path toward self-destruction.

I can only hope that this latter group will learn from this experience, and will be able to recover. A realistic view tells me that if they do, they’ll have to work mighty hard to overcome what they’ve brought on themselves.

Back to the first group. Congratulations to them. And thanks, for showing a sometimes cynical older generation that values, hard work, and a focus on others, not just self, are still alive and well.

Five thousand dollars won’t cover the cost of these kids’ higher education, but it’s a great start, and as the new Pharm.D. pointed out, it can be the seed that leads to a brilliant future.

It’s interesting that, just as in the workplace, those who go the Extra Mile, who volunteer their Discretionary Effort, and who do more than is required, are often the very ones who reap the most in return. I know it doesn’t always work out that way, but I’m heartened when it does, and it certainly did in the case of these five outstanding young people I met yesterday.

If we leave the world to people like these 5 scholars, we’re going to be just fine.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and his co-author and business partner Bill Catlette, are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

We stayed in the 3-star Hotel De La Paix, in the heart of the city. We were checked in by a friendly (but not overly so) woman of about 40, named Natalie. She spoke better English than many Americans I know, and couldn’t have been more helpful.

I awoke early the next morning, as I often do on vacation, and went down to the closet-sized lobby to soak up some of the free wireless internet signal to get some work done. Yes, I know this is supposed to be vacation, but in our business, neither Bill nor I can be 100% untethered for very long. That’s OK – let me get an hour’s work done, with a good internet signal, and I’m good for the rest of the day.

When the breakfast room opened at 7, my family was still upstairs groggy in our tiny room, but my coffee addiction was speaking to me in clear tones. Natalie, who had been on duty when we had checked in at 2 the day before, was once again, at her post at 7am. I asked if it might be possible for me to go into the breakfast room and bring a cup of coffee to the lobby to drink while I was working on my laptop.

“I’ll go and get it for you,” she offered.

I would never have dreamed of asking her to stop what she was doing, leave the reception desk, and go to the restaurant to get me some coffee. But she insisted. Two minutes later, she returned with a hot cup of coffee, in stylish china, with 2 packets each of sugar, and artificial sweetener, a small pitcher of milk, and a chocolate biscuit on the side.

Expectations exceeded.

The next morning, I repeated my part of the ritual. Natalie was behind the desk, attending to some kind of recordkeeping. “Guten morgen,” she said, knowing that her English was far better than my German, but somehow sensing that she should humor me. At about a quarter to seven (15 minutes before breakfast officially started), she disappeared from behind the counter, and again, 2 minutes later, returned, unbidden, with a duplicate of the previous morning’s coffee and biscuits.

I didn’t have a chance to spend much time talking with Natalie. If I had, I would like to have asked her what it is that causes her, on a routine basis (as I observed she did with other guests as well) to do more than is expected.

I suspect that somewhere, at the Hotel De La Paix, is an owner, proprietor, or manager, who lets Natalie know, on a routine basis, that what she does, and how she does it, matters. And tells her, with words as clear as I hope my words were to her, that they notice, and appreciate her going the extra mile, er, kilometer.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and his co-author and business partner Bill Catlette, are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

But before I express this observation, let me issue a disclaimer. First, I’m not complaining. We’re having a wonderful time, and I fully realize how very fortunate I am to be able to make such a trip. Second, please don’t interpret this observation as a criticism, or a generalization of Europe, Europeans, or all things non-American.

Now – here’s what I’ve observed, on this, and come to think of it, every trip I’ve made to Europe.

Compared to life in the United States, many things in Europe seem to require a great deal of effort. And it’s not just because I’m unaccustomed to being here. Here’s but one example.

Our flight arrived on Saturday at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. We got off the plane, and onto a bus, rode to Terminal 2, went through immigration, collected our bags, went through customs, then had to get on yet another bus to go to Terminal 1, more than 2 miles away, to pick up our rental car. After the bus dropped us in the general vicinity of Terminal 1, we walked about 500 yards to the car rental desks, and alighted at the Hertz counter. When in the US, as a Hertz #1 Gold member, I’m often driving off in my rental car within 15 minutes of having left the plane, with zero paperwork to fill out. Here I waited for a very nice Italian woman to print out roughly the same number of forms as for my home mortgage. She explained them all in very good English, and I signed them. She gave me the key, and then we walked back the 500 yards to where the bus had dropped us off, and then yet another 300 yards to the car.

Next chapter – same topic: effort.

I awoke the next morning (Easter Sunday) in our three-and-a-half-star hotel to a stunning view over the lakes of Varese, with a light snow falling. We paid roughly what we would have paid for a nice full-service Marriott in the center of a major US city, or near a major airport. But, as is often the case in European hotels, the price included breakfast. In my experience, that’s usually a nice roll, maybe some yogurt, cheese, and cereal. Instead, in this case, we entered the breakfast room and were overwhelmed by a huge table loaded with more than 50 different items (yes, I counted). Croissants, Danish, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit (chopped and sliced), cereal, musli, yogurt, cheese, ham, cakes, tarts, juices of orange, grapefruit, and papaya. At 7:00 in the morning, we were the only ones having breakfast. Indeed, for some reason, there were only a handful of guests in the hotel. And yet, someone had obviously risen early that morning, made it to work in the snow, and baked, scrambled, fried, peeled, sliced, chopped, and otherwise prepared this remarkable feast, and displayed it as though it were ready for a photo shoot for a gourmet food magazine.

It was quite possibly the very best breakfast I have ever had in a restaurant or hotel. Ever. And with my family around the table in this elegant, and for us, private, dining room, with the snow softly falling over the lakes of Varese, Italy, on Easter morning, I was very thankful that someone – undoubtedly several someones had gone to a great deal of effort.

Along with a long list of other admirers, I was equally impressed to learn this week that Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, has spent the last ten weeks serving as a forward air controller in a British combat regiment in Afghanistan. Clearly, in this case, his service in a front line unit came because he insisted on it, rather than it being required of him. Not unlike Mrs. Mac, he did it because he could. Bravo for Harry, and his older brother, William, who will likely serve at some point in the future aboard a British naval vessel. It’s sad that the Prince’s tour of duty in Afghanistan was cut short by virtue of being outed by the Drudge Report, ostensibly because… they could.

During lunch with a friend on Friday, we wound up ruminating on some of the things we perceive to be amiss in American society today. We focused for a bit on the fact that too often, we do things not because they are necessary, or the right thing to do, but because we can. As a case in point, we talked about the reflexive choice of too many members of our society to file a lawsuit whenever something doesn’t go their way. Witness the fact that it is almost expected that anyone involved in an automobile accident, medical mistake, or employment termination is going to lawyer up and go after the other party. Sadly, the downside is that, aside from filling one more damned law school, dramatically increasing the costs of driving, medical procedures and the like, it makes us far less productive as individuals and a nation. Moreover, we create an entitlement mindset where any time we have a boo-boo, someone else is expected to pay. I’m not sure that’s healthy for us in the long run, and I am quite sure that the Mrs. Macs of the world don’t get where they are by constantly being on the lookout for ways to game the system. No, they choose to take the same high road that is available to all of us, because they can. So can we.

A thought leader in the areas of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

I recently attended the ceremony in which Richard and Christine’s son, Alec was awarded the earned Eagle Scout rank. For the uninitiated, making Eagle Scout is a big deal… a really big deal. In Alec’s case, we’re talking nine (9) years of effort in which one has to attain various preparatory Scout ranks, earn a minimum of twenty-one merit badges indicating successful completion of courses of study in things like First Aid, Family Life, Citizenship in the Nation, et. al., (Alec earned 55), and completion of a significant community service project.

Tougher perhaps than doing all that work is sticking with the program for that long. Let’s face it, teenagers aren’t exactly wanting for distractions. Indeed as pointed out by family friend, Tommy Walter in a speech lauding Alec, the sticking-with-it part is even tougher because, if you haven’t noticed, Scouting isn’t as cool today as it once was. Sadly, in many neighborhoods, we probably have more kids participating in gang initiation than earning merit badges.

Aside from saying a few well-deserved words about a fine young man, there’s a lesson here for the rest of us. Richard and I are regularly barraged with questions from managers about where to find great workers – people who are honest, reliable, willing to work, and will stick around for a while. If you ask me, you may want to include a Boy or Girl Scout troop on your next recruiting trip. While you’re there, say thank you to the men and women who are doing the important and unheralded work of helping these kids grow up right.

Godspeed!

A thought leader in the areas of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, motivated, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.ContentedCows.com.