As we head into the New Year, I'm thinking about how I could be of better service to this world and how I could get this message of "business is all about people" into the minds of more people - especially those business people who believe that it's a "dog eat dog world" or that you have to "crush the competition" to be a success.
Well, I just finished reading Wallace D. Wattles book, The Science of Getting Rich, where he offers some phenomenal words of wisdom. It's a very short book (88 pages) that could be read in about a day if you're a speed reader like I am ;) However, it's jam-packed full of great advice. The book was originally published in 1910 and it makes me wonder how business would be today if every CEO of the modern world had read this book.
In Chapter 6 titled, "How Riches Come To You", Wattles offers this advice:
When you rise from the competitive to the creative plane, you can scan your business transactions very strictly, and if you are selling any man anything which does not add more to his life than the thing he gives you in exchange, you can afford to stop it. You do not have to beat anybody in business. And if you are in a business which does beat people, get out of it at once."If only people on Wall Street and the real estate/mortgage industries knew about this book! There were just too many people out there busy thinking about their own self-interests to consider the consequences of their actions. I could go on and on about that, but I think there's been enough talk about the current economy.
However, if you do feel victimized from these current state of affair, I offer more words of wisdom from Wattles:
"Never speak of the times as being hard, or of business conditions as being doubtful. Times may be hard and business doubtful for those who are on the competitive plane, but they can never be so for you; you can create what you want, and you are above fear."There is so much more I'd like to share, but I think it would be so much better to read the book! If there is only one book you read in 2009, this should be it.
Here's another resource of interest: A Powerful Life: 25 Long Lost, Extremely Rare Books And Articles Written By Wallace D. Wattles
I agree with your views on customer service, and I recall an earlier post where you suggested it as a coping strategy in times of recession. This too I agree with because I think it's possible American retail in particular has had it too easy for too long and has fallen into bad habits
I've summarised the best and worst from my recent trip to Boston in this post
http://blog.capablepeople.co.uk/blog/_archives/2008/12/20/4029083.html
Standards have been on the slide (I think) for a few years now. I only hope they've now hit the bottom because I get more pleasure out of relaying success stories rather than horror stories
Shaun
Hi Shaun,
Yes, customer service has been sliding for many years now! It's my hope that in 2009 we can start to share more feel-good customer service stories instead of all the doom and gloom from last year.
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading!