It’s “Not Personal”

“It’s not personal, it’s business.”

How many times have you heard this line?

As an entrepreneur I hear this constantly, and I even believed it until recently.

Well guess what? It turns out that it is personal after all.

One thing that I’ve learned about running a business is that you must be passionate about what you do.

This is key.

If you truly love your work, a little piece of your soul is put into every task you undertake. These “gifts”  are the parts of us which we give away freely and are an invaluable part of your business no matter what business you’re in!

For example:

• If you wait tables and you take the time to remember a regular customer’s order – you are giving a gift.

• If you are a parking enforcement officer who overlooks a vehicle’s  parking meter is two minutes past expired -  once again, a gift.

• If you are a teacher who spends extra time with a student who is struggling with the curriculum (even though it’s way past the bell and you’d really like to get home)  – this is generosity. This is your gift.

• If you are an artist going the extra mile to create a client’s dream installation (despite the fact that the project is now taking up way more time). You guessed it.

These are all gifts that we need to give. We must give them.

Our gifts can be used everywhere, in every business, in every walk of life.

I think it’s time for us to stop separating ourselves from the situations we face and make it personal.

So, the next time a  customer of yours is unhappy, don’t blame it on Sally in the electronics department – face the problem head on. I bet there is something you can do to help the situation. (Remember, most of the time it’s not that you “can’t” do it, it’s that you “won’t” do it.)

Adding real value by bringing your unique gifts to the table is a must. This is what brings humanity to your work.

Start caring. Stop passing off the responsibility to others and take on the blame yourself.

Unless you hate your job…

Then it’s just back to “business”, right?

Tagged as: Business and Economy, Extra time