One of my favorite moments as a Chick-fil-A customer is when a team member behind the counter sees me coming up to the register with my cup in hand. They automatically know why I’m coming to the, but rather than waiting for me to arrive at the front counter, they come around the corner, meet me halfway there, and ask for my drink choice, with a hand outstretched for my cup. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This is an incredible example of multi-layered vision, where I’m being served before I can even ask for them to serve me. You may think “what’s the big deal? They are supposed to do that...” Well, from the customers’ perspective, you are anticipating their needs and serving them in a remarkable way.
This kind of intuition and initiative only comes from your decision to actively look for ways to serve other people, where your leadership radar is constantly searching for ways to solve problems. In other words, the team member mentioned above has been trained to look beyond the issue right in front of them, and can “enlarge their vision”.
Serve your customer before they ask to be served
- What does walking with a purpose mean? In contrast, if you don’t walk with a purpose, what opportunities could you miss that are right in front of you?
- Right now, can you think of 3 to 5 things you can do to walk with a purpose when you’re clocked in at your job, or at home with your family, or even out with friends? Keep in mind, you must have a “multi-layered vision” to look beyond what’s right in front of you.
I promise you - if you take a couple minutes to think through how many opportunities you have to serve your clients, or honor your family and friends, you’ll come up with at least a dozen ways (big and small) that you can make a positive impact.
Challenge: After you serve a customer, before you go back to your “starting spot”, seek out another customer for whom you can provide assistance. As you restock the shelves, look for the next few items so you can serve your team in filling the gaps before someone else notices them. If you see a list of tasks that need to be done, take the next task after the one you’re working on with you, so you can set up a co-worker for success. Once this becomes part of your daily routine, you’ll be growing as a leader!
