Going to the mall is always an adventure. When darling hubby (DH) and I go together it’s doubly so. He works in a local high school, so almost anywhere we go in town we see “his kids.” It’s like hanging out with a celebrity with all the teenagers yelling “Hi, Mr. Gary”, waving and hugging. Today, we were at Penny’s, looking for new jeans for him and the usual thing happened. We saw lots of “his children.” However, the last one stuck with me. He told me I was a buzzkill.

There we were, waiting in line to pay for DH’s jeans. He spotted a boy (OK, young man) from his high school and stepped out of line to speak with him. I stayed in line, but could hear the conversation.

Hubby (DH): Hey man. What’s up? What ya doin’?
Young Man (YM): I’m here looking for a job, filling out a few applications.

Up to this point, I’d barely acknowledged the exchange. The kid said the word “job” and “application” and I immediately turned in – imagine that. The check-out line was slow moving, so I had time to join the conversation. Mind you, I’d not paid much attention when the young man passed by originally, but after hearing his primary reason for being in the mall today (Sunday) was for job search (Sunday?) he had my complete attention. As I turned, I now looked at him with a career coaching eye.

The conversation continued.
DH: So you’re looking for a job?
YM: Yup. Thought I drop by and fill out a couple of applications.

He’s wearing tennis shoes, shorts, a t-shirt (with a logo of some sort – at least it wasn’t a questionable saying) and a knit jacket.

Me: You’re here applying for a job?
YM: Yes ma’am.

And golly gee, before the filter that stops everything that pops into my head from coming out my mouth even had a chance to operate, I blurted out, “Dressed like that?”

YM: Yes ma’am.
Me: Really?
YM: Well. I’m on my way to the gym.
Me: No excuse. (Smiling.) I should explain. I’m a resume writer. That’s what I do for a living. I work with people seeking employment every day.
YM: Guess I should have come after the gym.
Me: Yes. After you’ve changed clothes and are ready to make a good first impression.
DH: You only get one chance to make a good first impression.
Me: I’m sorry. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything.
YM: Well. It is kind of a buzzkill.
Me: I know. I’ve been called worse.

He bade farewell and quickly left. (Gee. I wonder why?) I know what you’re thinking. Lighten up Dawn. He’s a kid. It’s “just” a job in the mall. But, think about this. At some point he’ll graduate. I don’t know his future plans – school or work – but I do know one thing, his future will include a job search. And in most instances, you don’t advance your career in shorts and a t-shirt. (And you’re never too young to learn that lesson.)

Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything. I regret if I embarrassed him, but if two minutes worth of buzzkill helps him land his next job, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

No one told me …

That was the response I heard when I asked a client about the monetary impact of changes she’d suggested and implemented. I pressed further. “Can you remember anything about how things changed after you introduced your idea?” Her response … a nervous giggle, then **crickets**.

I’m not picking on her. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten that response. Pragmatically, we know no job comes with guarantees. In reality, we put on our career blinders and think “it couldn’t happen to me.” Then. It does happen. And rather than being able to grab our wonderfulness file and hit the ground running, we waste valuable time kicking ourselves for not being better prepared. (And believe me. I am not immune … )

A few days ago, Billie Sucher, a career colleague tweeted:
“If you aren’t tracking your own job performance, (or job search performance) who is? #jobhunt #discipline #accountability”

It made me think of clients who know they’ve contributed, but never took the time to make note of contributions. Who is managing your career? Who is keeping track of your career contributions? Could you access your carefully nurtured and cultivated professional network if you were walked to the door today?

Unfortunately, for a good many souls, they lose their contacts and their history when a layoff or business failure hits. So, how do you, my savvy reader, circumvent this loss? Today, right now, set up a (free) Gmail account. Export your contact names to that account. (That could be via CSV file or plain, old fashioned typing them in. Regardless. Do it.) Then, either add new contacts as they come in, or set a reminder in your calendar to update your lists regularly. Another option is to open a free JibberJobber.com account and take your career management to the next level. No matter what, it’s important to maintain an offsite list of important contacts.

And, since you’re in “take charge” mode, start documenting your accomplishments. Don’t wait for your employer to “give” you your sales figures or come up with a measurement for something you suggested. Start documenting, even if it’s an informal tally, so you have an idea of where you stand on any given day. Keep information like that off site as well – a flash drive or Google Docs. Of course, you can’t copy and keep proprietary information, but you can set up some sort of system to document the improvement.

Here’s a March 7th tweet from me:
“Create an accomplishments file, updating it regularly. U need the info to sell UR skills to your next employer. You WON’T remember it all.”

Were you challenged in customer service to handle more calls, so you’re trying different approaches to be helpful, but expedient? Then start something as simple as a tick list to track the calls. Over a week, you’ll know went from taking 10 calls to 25. Take the time to reflect on how you did it – exact steps – so six months or a year from now, you’ll be able to weave the details and measurable results into a resume update and tell a compelling story with quantifiable, qualifiable information during an interview.

Something as simple as catching up filing contributes to the bottom line. If employees were spending 20 minutes a day looking for information stacked throughout the office and you, with your easy to manage file system, have reduced it to 2 minutes, you’ve saved 18 minutes of time. Now multiply that by the five other employees in the department and you saved 1.5 hours a day, 7.5 by week’s end. You’ve added almost an entire day of productivity to your department. Multiply that by 52 weeks a year … well you get the idea.

No matter how insignificant you think the change, write it down. Stop discounting your career accomplishments with an “It’s just my job” mentality. Every position in a company contributes to or supports contribution to the bottom line or the position would not exist. Now, when review time rolls around or you’re working on a resume update or sitting in an interview, you won’t mumble a lame, “I’m organized” <giggle> response. You’ll be able to say, “I put my organization skills to work catching up a six month backlog of filing and kept it current. This minor improvement netted a savings of 7.5 work hours per week in my department and enabled the launch of “XYZ project” or “this improvement”. Chances are, if you didn’t write it down, you’d never remember the act or the impact. And if you didn’t take time to really look at your contribution, you’d never be able to use it to convey your value.

You’re the author of your career story. Don’t wait for someone else to contribute a chapter. Write it yourself.

I went to my computer early last Monday morning (12-20) around 2:30 a.m. I live with six dogs and an “old bladder” so middle of the night computer visits are normal for me. I check email or catch up on Twitter until I get sleepy again. Sometimes, on Twitter, I’ll find another night owl or someone on the other side of the world willing to chat.

When I moved the mouse to wake up the computer, I was greeted a black screen with white writing. For those of you have seen this type of display, you know the terror starts now. I tried everything I knew to revive or restore the “sick” machine … to no avail. I went back to bed for a few hours hoping it would “miraculously” heal. No such luck.

Grabbing the yellow pages I started dialing. I left a message at the first shop (has YET to call me back) and then called a shop advertising 24/7 service. I dialed 910.367.2365. After the second ring, a cheery “Paradox Computer Services” greeted me. It was 7:30 a.m., Monday morning, Christmas week. From that point on, Gary Webb, one of the Paradox owners went above and beyond in getting my computer back operational. Over the course of the week we upgraded to Windows 7 and Office 2007. We installed a higher level anti-virus program and added an external hard drive. We also downloaded infinite files from my off-site backup storage (THANK GOODNESS FOR Carbonite!!)  We tweaked, restored, reset and reloaded all week. He met me and returned my computer on Christmas Day for heaven’s sake!

I’d had computer troubles back in September and put in place some stop gaps then. I thought I had it under control. Boy was I wrong! Downloading one file from Carbonite … no big deal; restoring an entire hard drive … BIG deal. I’m on a high-speed satellite, not broad band or DSL connection, what should have taken less than 24 hours took 3 days to download. At one point, I did “something” and had to restart the backup making it take even longer. Ugh.

On top of the download adventure, we’d make a change, I’d take the computer home, hook it up and something else, unexpected would happen. I’d call Gary, and we’d arrange to meet at a point between our two locations (I live 30 miles from town, 60 mile minimum round trip). I went to Wilmington five out of six days last week. On the fourth trip, Gary, handed me a $25 gas card to help defray the cost of schlepping the computer back and forth. We’re still not sure the cause or reason for the ghosts in my machine, but it was a challenge. I wasn’t giving up. Neither was he.

Every day last week I planned around getting my computer back and what I could do in the interim. I rearranged my schedule so I could prepare for Christmas, meet an urgent client deadline, get my computer repaired, remain current with emails and take care of other client needs. Oh, and did I tell you, at the same time the computer crashed, I noticed my phone wouldn’t send emails from my business account? I was in technological purgatory. Gmail worked on my phone, but the account I’d need the most for responding was down, and nothing would fix it … expect a master restore. I wasn’t willing to do that until I could get my computer back up since I wasn’t sure I might loose/had already lost. Ironically, that’s what the computer needed too.

Nope. This isn't part of my plan, but then again ...

It was a full week of, “OK … this isn’t working. What can I get done today in spite of that?” and then “dropping back and punting.” I couldn’t sit down and sulk. (Believe me. I wanted to.) I had to keep moving. Events of this past week give a nice parallel to the job search. I had a plan. I’d prepared, yet the unexpected happened and I had to scramble.

We prepare. We plot a course. We envision the outcome. Then we remember, “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans”. It’s good to have a plan.  It’s better to have three or four (or more) to keep you on your feet and moving forward. I managed to get it all done. I learned A LOT about adapting and redundancy in planning for the worst. With plans B, C and D firmly in place, I “think” I’m ready for anything now. This may never happen again. Or worse may happen. Who knows? At least now, I have a few different paths established for recovery. You can do the same in your search. Map out multiple if/then scenarios. Hopefully, you won’t have to do everything you planned before you attain job search success, but with several things in place you’ll be able to exhale instead of gasping the next time things don’t go your way.

Snug as a Bug - Pet Sitting for ALL types of pets & just a bit more

If you read this blog with any frequency (THANK YOU!!!), you know in addition to being a professional resume writer, I ran a busy pet sitting service – emphasis on the word busy. Back on July 29^th, I came to the realization something had to give. I drove 150 miles doing pet sits, – never leaving the county – had promised a resume to a client AND it was my 10^th wedding anniversary. (OK, so I didn’t do such a hot job of scheduling that day.) Anyway, the light came on and I began the long process of figuring out how to sell or close a rural pet sitting business and not leave my loyal clients hanging – I’d been pet sitting for seven years.

I approached several potential buyers. They all turned me down, basically saying, “I really don’t want to be that busy” (WHAT???? This is the “Summer of 2009”. Hello. Recession. Double-digit unemployment … But that’s a blog “rant” for another day). Finally, for my own peace of mind, I realized I had to walk away. I’ll spare you the details of that decision-making process. Suffice it to say it was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made in a long time. And I greatly underestimated the emotional roller coaster that decision would bring.

Fast forward to October 4^th. I composed a farewell letter to my clients (approx 75 households in a 25-mile radius), stayed up until 1 a.m. stuffing and addressing envelopes. I awoke, bright and early on October 5^th to do two pet sits before arriving at the post office to buy stamps and mail out the farewell letters. Around 8:30 that morning, pet sits completed, stamps purchased, I’d dropped the letters into the mailbox. There was no turning back. Following is how the rest of that week shaped up:

• About 10 a.m. one of my most loyal pet sit clients called to book two pet sits. I wasn’t prepared mentally or emotionally to have the “I’m closing” conversation, but had to have it. She’d get the letter the next day. I couldn’t play dumb. At one point, she started to cry. In retrospect, a wonderful testament to the value I provided my customers. At that moment, it triggered heart-wrenching, “What have I done???” thoughts.

• Half an hour later, my 9:30 Tuesday morning resume client called and said the temporary agency she’d registered with months ago finally came through with a job, starting Tuesday morning, so she was going to postpone having her resume written.

• An hour later, I heard from another pet sit client, who not only wanted to book me the following week, she had a friend who also needed my services at the same time. Another unexpected, difficult “I’m closing” conversation.

• Oh, and the client I scheduled to write for on Monday never followed through with payment, so there went that project.

• Then my 2:30 Monday appointment didn’t answer the phone at any of three numbers I had for him.

• Also on Monday, a resume colleague emailed to reschedule a business conversation. She didn’t know the craziness of my day, but it was frosting on the cake. Even my resume colleagues didn’t want to talk to me.

• Tuesday my writing project never followed through with payment, so there went that one too. (I’ve got to revisit my business model and how I schedule/invoice, but now’s not the time.)

• Wednesday, another pet sit client called. She’d not had a chance to go through her mail, so didn’t know I was closing my business yet. Another difficult conversation ensued – she had 15 Jack Russell terriers and a horse. Who would take care of that crowd, if not me?

• Thursday, my morning resume consult didn’t answer the phone and when I called my afternoon appointment she responded with, “Oh, I meant to call you, I decided to postpone working on my resume for awhile.” By the way, I’d schedule Friday to write for her because when we spoke on Wednesday, she was in such a hurry to get it done.

• Thursday afternoon, I heard from the son of the client that didn’t respond at three different phone numbers on Monday afternoon. He’d heard the message I left his father (friendly and upbeat) and wanted me to know his father had passed away from a heart attack on Monday morning. He said his father was the type of person who would want me to know why he didn’t keep his appointment. His son, a stranger until that moment, and I cried together. Partially because in the few conversations I’d had with his dad, I found him to be charming and delightful and I regretted not having the opportunity to know him better and I felt the son’s pain, partially because I wondered what exactly the universe was trying to tell me. I found some solace when the son said knowing about his dad’s career plans and the content our conversations gave him great peace of mind.

So let’s tally this up … The same week I decided to close a successful pet sitting business to pursue what I thought was my ever-growing resume writing business – my phone did not ring for resumes, except cancellations, for two days, three of four writing project disappeared, four of five resume clients canceled, one of them passing away (two more appointments canceled the following week.) In the same week, three pet sit clients called to book four appointments and one wanted to refer a new client. I gave up pet sitting and am turning away pet sit business to advance my resume career, yet my resume clients start disappearing like chocolate at a fat lady convention. (I can use that analogy. I’m round!)

To say I was confused, frightened and full of self-doubt would be an understatement. I didn’t know this old, round body could still get into the fetal position, but that’s pretty much where I spent the week.

Why do I bare my soul to you with this l-o-n-g story? Well, to tie it into the job search of course. Know what I did during my time of self-doubt and fear? Honestly, I had a good cry; then I reached out to my network. You know the network I tell you repeatedly that’s soooooooo important to nurture and cultivate and support. Know what? They were there for me. They rallied. They reminded me this too shall pass. They offered virtual hugs. They emailed frequently. They called to check on me. They let me rant. They let me know when I’d ranted enough. They let me cry. The kicked me in the butt when I needed it. Most importantly, they were there, letting me know I didn’t have to go through anything alone.

Know what else? They were right. Within two weeks I’d weathered the storm. The resume business rebounded. Now, less than two months later, I’m rockin’ ‘n’ rollin’ wondering how I ever fit pet sitting into the mix. I won’t say a job search will go that quickly, but I will tell you even at the bottom of a pit, from a fetal position, an attitude adjustment and good friends will get you through most anything.

Sure, it was a lot easier sitting around feeling sorry for myself, but eventually, even I couldn’t stand to be around me. I had to take a different approach. I can finally tell this story. I kept saying, eventually, this’ll make a great story, there’re some great lessons in here and we’ll laugh about all of this … and I was right. As another good friend said to me tonight, “We are git ‘er done kinda gals. We don’t stay knocked down long.” I’ll be honest. I had to “fake it ‘til I made it”, but adopting that “git ‘er done” attitude made all the difference. Try it. You’ll be astounded at what happens.

Today’s Careerealism T.A.P. question #382 prompted this post. You can go read the entire question here, but the gist of it is, “I’m underpaid. Should I threaten to leave to see if I can get more money?” Since I can only answer in 140 characters on Twitter, I decided to expand all the things wrong with this tactic here.

This question netted a visceral response from me because of my recruiting background and I don’t like the threat game. Either do it or don’t, but don’t threaten actions to get your way. The list of 10 reasons not to accept counter offers (below) harkens back to my recruiting days. Nothing is worse for a recruiter than a candidate using the recruiter and the hiring company as pawns in a game to get more money from his current employer. Whether a recruiter is in the equation or not, threatening to leave to is NOT a good strategy to extort a higher salary. (Yes. I said extort.)

You took the job at the salary you’re receiving. If it isn’t enough, if the scope has changed, if your contributions to the bottom line aren’t reflected in your compensation, then put together a sound presentation as to why a higher salary is in order. Have an adult conversation with your manager, offering point-by-point solid reasons why more money is warranted. Demonstrate the company’s ROI on their investment in you. If you don’t like the answer, thank him/her for the time and start your search – while still performing top-drawer work at your current employer. For now, they pay your salary. Respect that.

Don’t take a sissy approach, whining into your manager’s office saying, “Everyone else is making more money than me. It’s not fair. If you don’t give me more money, I’m going to start looking for another job.” (Looks pretty smary in black and white, doesn’t it?) Rather than figuring out ways to cajole a higher salary with groundless threats, put that effort into exhibiting your skills. Or use that energy to launch a job search. Either way, threatening your way into anything is never a good idea.

COUNTER OFFERS
10 REASONS NOT TO CONSIDER THEM…

1. You made your employer aware you are unhappy. From this day on, your loyalty will always be in question.

2. When promotion time comes around, your employer will remember who is loyal and who is not.

3. When times get tough, your employer will begin the cutbacks with you.

4. Accepting a counteroffer (or a threat-based raise) is an insult to your intelligence and a blow to your personal pride: you were bought.

5. Where is the money coming from? All companies have wage and salary guidelines that must be followed. Is it your next raise early?

6. Your company will immediately start looking for a new person at a cheaper price.

7. The same circumstance now causing your dissatisfaction will repeat in the future, even if you accept a counteroffer or get the raise you “forced”.

8. Statistics show if you accept a counteroffer, the probability of voluntarily leaving in six months or being let go in one year is extremely high.

9. Once word gets out you bullied your way into a raise (and it will), the relationship that you now enjoy with your co-workers will never be the same.  You will lose the personal satisfaction of peer group acceptance.

10. What type of company do you work for if you have to threaten to resign before they give you what you’re worth????

As you may already know, I ran a pet sitting service in addition to my resume writing enterprise. (October 5th I notified clients I was shutting down.) If you think working for corporate America is demanding, try caring for someone’s animals in their own home. Goodness me, the stories I could tell.

I also volunteer as a Career Expert for Careerealism’s Twitter Advice Project (T.A.P.) Anonymous individuals pose job search and work-related questions and the experts respond via Twitter in 140-characters or less. Lately, some of the questions make me stop, shake my head and wonder what’s happening to the work ethic and why people are bewildered when they’re expected to do their job.

OK, so what do pet sitting, being a career expert and a diminishing work ethic have in common? Hang in there. I’m getting to it. One of my pet sit clients wanted their cat food heated for 8 seconds; another one insisted 5 seconds was optimum – imagine how much fun it was the time I sat for both clients in the same weekend. Another left me a note telling specifically which blanket to put in the carrier in the unlikely event I had to rush her cat to the emergency room. Another had bowls labeled so each dog ate out of the correct bowl.

While there are lots more examples, you can catch the drift. Pet owners, (like business owners) are very specific about caring for their animals (businesses). Did I always agree with them? Ah, no. C’mon. How many times do you see a cat rush to the microwave to heat up a mouse or a bug before devouring it? A sick cat will know/care if it’s resting a specific blanket, really? Dogs can tell if they’re eating from the “correct” bowl? Granted order of feeding is important, but do they really care if the bowl is red or blue, as long as there’s food in it?

Did I spend time pontificating and arguing with clients and sharing my opinions about their care practices? Nope. I took notes and made sure I did as my “employers” told me. They didn’t ask for my opinion. They asked me to do a job, in the manner in which they saw best for their animals. They paid me. I “got over myself” and delivered stellar service, right down to ensuring I knew where that special cat blanket was, just in case I needed it. It was part of the job.

Some T.A.P. questioners pose queries like, “My boss expects me to get to work on time and that’s a problem”, “Why am I being held hostage? I asked to leave early for a ballgame and was told no.”, “I want to take a cooking class, but I’ll have to miss work, is that OK?”, “They’re moving people I don’t like into my department. What am I to do?” Wait. I’ll be right back. I’ve got to get some cheese to go with this whine.

If you agreed to take a job, were told the start time and now getting there on time is inconvenient, it’s a self-discipline problem. Suck it up; hire a brass band to roll you out of bed if necessary, but on-time arrival is not an unrealistic expectation. You’re allowed to ask for scheduling considerations, but based on business climate, department goals and dare I say, your supervisor’s mood, you might hear no. You’re grown. Deal with it. Gee. You have to work with someone you don’t like. Oh well. Find a way to get along during the workday. I used to tell my employees, “You don’t have to like each other at 7:59 a.m. or 5:01 p.m., but from 8-5, you better all be pulling in the same direction – toward business success – period.”

It seems most of the questions stem from a belief work is a necessary inconvenience and a business should acquiesce to the whims of each and every employee. Making everyone happy, all the time, dooms a business to failure. That’s not to say everyone should be miserable or sometimes special things can’t happen, but overall, you were hired to do a job. You agreed. You draw a paycheck because of that agreement and on payday, everybody’s even.

Bottom line, they call it work for a reason – it’s not always fun. As long as assignments aren’t immoral, unethical or illegal, stop complaining about the tiny things and do what you were hired to do. That’s not to say don’t offer opinions about business operations, that’s expected from a good employee. What I’m saying is, stop complaining when the business doesn’t revolve around your own personal wants and needs. If that becomes a problem for you, then update your resume and find a job that is more suited to your tender sensibilities. Otherwise, devote yourself to the success of the organization. If they ask you to heat cat food for 8 seconds, arrive on time or brush a hippo’s teeth, then do it with a smile and know you’re contributing to the overall success of the organization, whether you see it that way or not.

This story came via email yesterday from Phil. I’m sharing it here today because it gives me a chance to spend some time talking about my favorite topics – a positive attitude, good customer service, social media and old friends – and tie it all into job search and career advice. Life is good.

Phil is a good friend and coworker from back in the ’80s when I worked at Square D. Those were younger, wilder days and Phil was our “self-appointed social director”. Pre-Internet, pre-texting, pre-social media (it was the ’80s!) Phil could throw together an impromptu gathering in about seven seconds. There was a core group (me included) ready for adventure at a moment’s notice and we’d always connect with interesting people along the way. From what I’m told, we had a good time. <grin>

Phil left Square D and we lost touch … as so frequently happens. Fast-forward to 2009. Phil found me on LinkedIn – the power of social media! We’re a little older. (OK, a lot older, who am I kidding?? It was the ‘80s.) Rather than planning the next happy hour gathering, we’re sharing small parts of our lives via email. On top of being a great person and friend, Phil is an awesome source for bizarre, thought-provoking and inspiring information. Thanks to social media (LinkedIn) and an old friend (Phil), I’ve got a great story to share … about a good attitude and customer service.

So what does a good attitude and good customer service have to do with a job search? The attitude part should be obvious – no one wants to be around Grumpy Gus or Whining Winnie – especially during a job search. Everyone has problems and usually, given the opportunity to trade your problems with someone else, you’d gratefully keep your own. Exude positive energy, optimism and enthusiasm and it comes back to you. (But you already know that ….)

From a service standpoint, give more than what your customer expects. They and it will always come back to you. If resumes are sales and marketing documents and you’re selling your time and your talents when you accept employment, then it stands to reason the people in the hiring process are your customers. Give them more than what they expect during the process. As I’ve said time and time again … a little consideration goes a long way.

And once you land that next position, continue to give more than your employer expects. Word gets around. You’ll build a strong, supportive network in the process. Your reputation will precede you and you’ll be in demand. You’ll have people calling with opportunities. Before you know it, you’ll be in charge of your career instead of the other way around. Work like you’re working for yourself … like Wally in the story:

Quack or Soar. It’s your choice.

No one can make you serve customers well. That’s because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey. He handed my friend a laminated card and said, “‘I’m Wally, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk I’d like you to read my mission statement.”

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally’s Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment. This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed the inside of the cab matched the outside–spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, ‘Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.’

My friend said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.”

Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice. “

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke.”

Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card. “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.” And as if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

“Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “have you always served customers like this?”

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day. He had just written a book called You’ll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, “Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.”

“That hit me right between the eyes,” said Wally, “Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”

“I take it that has paid off for you,” Harvey said.

“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.”

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I’ve probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn’t do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally, the Cab Driver, made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about you? Are you tired of quacking when you could be flying? Come fly with me!!

Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.

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