Promises We Make
Filed under: Core Values, Family Ministry, Personal Development
This is the second in a series of posts that I want to make about what I think is a very important subject, our most important relationships. For the people we care about the most we should be willing to make a few critical promises to demonstrate our level of commitment to them.
The first promise in the series was I will carefully listen to what you have to say. When we sincerely want to understand what the other person is feeling and thinking we acknowledge their value as a person.
The second promise is that I will always tell you the truth. The foundation of any relationship is the trust that is shared when I know what you are telling me is the truth.
Obviously, I am not talking about saying that Susan Boyle should become a model. If you meet her tell her she looks good and really mean it. However, she does have a beautiful voice and she reminded us all not to judge the character of a person by their outward appearance.
When we lie to someone it says more about us than it does about them. Not telling the truth is our way of deflecting blame and not assuming personal responsibility.
If someone tells me something that really hurts but I know in my heart it is the truth then I can still respect and trust them. When they make it up and tell me what is convenient for the moment I am the one who is ultimately hurt and they just burned a bridge that sometimes cannot be rebuilt.
Customer Service At Home
Filed under: Family Ministry, Life Balance, Marriage, Parenting, Personal Development
We all enjoy the experience of some organization or person who goes the extra mile and delivers high quality personal service. In a day when most companies either put you on a phone tree from hell or only allow contact through email it is really nice when another person is simply pleasant and nice.
Mobile Travel Guide declares themselves as the gold standard of travel ratings and reviews. They rate hotels and restaurants on a system of one to five stars based on their performance. When you see their sign and there are at least three to the coveted five stars rating you know that the experience will be a good one.
Every day when we all go out into the public world of work and our daily to do list we interact with lots of other people. Most of the time, we really try very hard to be courteous and polite to others especially if they are customers, suppliers, co workers or friends. We give, give, and give to other people all day until we are emotionally spent by the time we head home.
When I evaluate my customer service rating at home I have to admit many times I would not receive even one star much less three to five. I treat the people I care about the most with the least amount of patience and kindness.
If the Mobile staff were to interview the people who are the closest to you how many stars would you receive? I am going to do whatever it takes to consistently improve my score. How about you?