Always Give an Encore Performance
To be successful, always give your customer, or your boss, more than they expect. Give an encore performance.
An off schedule post
This is an off-schedule post. That means something different or interesting is going on that warrants paying attention to. So, my friends, read on to find out more!
Introduction
If you’ve taken my course, read my books, heard me speak in public, or followed these blog posts, you know that I like to incorporate stories in my writing and speaking. Why is that? Well, I fashion myself a teacher and educator, and I want to help people learn. When you help people learn something new, the satisfaction, something no amount of money can buy, is when the light comes on, and the student says, “Ah ha, now I understand!” And to teach people, especially children, you must make the topic interesting.
Stories make your teaching relatable. People want to know that the teacher understands what they, the students, are going through and how it is to be one of them. Stories can also make complex issues simple and help weave points together into an experience people understand. Consider these examples:
A good teacher can make you understand why you need to know a particular subject and how to master it. Especially things like math and chemistry. Yes, especially these subjects. If you have ever had one of these teachers, and I bet you have, you still remember him or her to this day. They made a lasting positive impact on you. Such is the value of a good teacher, one of the most important jobs in the world.
A good pastor is a teacher; they bring the Bible to life and make it relatable to you as an individual.
A good coach understands what their players are going through and uses stories and examples from their own challenges.
An effective drug or alcohol counselor is someone who has been there and can tell stories of how they have overcome. They can demonstrate, through a real-life example of themselves, that it can be done.
You get the point. And that’s why I tell stories through my teaching, speaking, and writing; they're at the heart of what I do with Afterburner Success Partners. Today, I’d like to tell you two stories.
The first was when I was promoted to a senior quality manager. I had employees (mostly inspectors) who now worked for me across the country, in many major cities, and I wanted to go and introduce myself and hear about their work and the issues they faced. As I first stood before one particular group to speak, I was thought to be just another manager climbing the corporate ladder, not understanding what they faced on a typical day. As I introduced myself and told them that I had been an aircraft mechanic (a prerequisite to being an inspector) and an inspector like them, who worked day, afternoon, and midnight shifts, and that I had also worked weekends, like they did, well, now you see, I had credibility with them. They could relate to me because I could relate to them. I told the story of my journey, and it was just like theirs. They knew that I understood them.
You may know that Diane and I enjoy traveling. This past summer, we were on a Danube River cruise, and one of the stops was in Vienna, Austria. There was an optional tour to hear an orchestra perform at one of Vienna's many venues. This intimate concert hall seats only 90 people and, so they tell us, is where Beethoven used to practice. The concert was absolutely stunning, the acoustics were superb, and it was well worth the price for the fantastic event in a timeless venue.
When the concert was over, the orchestra was taking their bows and the crowd was expressing their appreciation for a job well done, the conductor asked if we would like to hear one more piece. An encore. Well, of course we did, and I must say, because we already had an incredible show, we knew that this encore, this extra performance we had not paid for nor expected, would be exceptional. And it was. As an audience, we got more than we paid for or expected.
In everything you do, give an encore performance
As you go about your life, whether going to school, to work, or otherwise performing services or producing products for others, you will have a choice in how you perform those tasks:
If you are a student, do you begin your research project as soon as it is assigned, taking your time to complete the work and produce the best possible product so you can learn as much as possible? Or do you use AI, Cliff Notes, or other aids, just to get it done and turned in?
If you are an employee, do you arrive early to avoid traffic and get set up for the day so that you can provide your customers and employer with excellent service?
If you sell donuts, do you place 13 in the box when the customer orders a dozen (this is what is called a Baker’s dozen)?
If you clean toilets or mop floors for a living, are they the cleanest possible, cleaned and polished to the best of your ability? For a period, I performed this work. Later, when I was in basic training in the US Air Force, we cleaned bathrooms and waxed floors, and the standard was exceedingly high. To me, it did not matter what the standards were because my parents had instilled in me the value of doing my best, regardless of the task.
If you are an athlete or musical artist, how you train when no one is around is evident when you step on the court, field, or stage and under the glaring lights. How you train in a dingy gym, cold morning, hot afternoon, or dank practice facility when you are alone becomes evident when you step on the field, court, or stage. It’s not the lights that make you famous; it’s the training done when you are alone that the lights reveal.
If you are a military member, police officer, or other first responder, when the crisis arrives, and your training kicks in instinctively, will you, can you, rise to the occasion?
They say that a person's true character is revealed by what they do when no one is watching. I cleaned bathrooms and waxed floors on the midnight shift, when no one else was around. But I knew the quality of my work. When I was finished, the toilets, sinks, and floors shone. I was proud of my work. And not only then, but I also tried to do that my entire life, I tried to live by that creed. It’s who I am.
Once, I sold a car for half its value to help a nephew get on his feet. The car was approximately 19 years old and had 247,000 miles, but it was in excellent condition. I wanted something newer, so I decided to help him by selling him the car at a price well below its actual value. My brother-in-law mentioned to the young man, “If Dave Giustozzi owned this car, you already know it was well taken care of and in excellent condition.” I don’t think I have ever received a higher compliment, and he didn't even realize he'd done it.
If you’ve been reading my postings or even read my book, you know that I have defined what a professional is. And it’s not just someone who is a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, positions typically considered professional. No, mine is a bit broader:
A professional is one who utilizes their skills and expertise to accomplish their assigned tasks in a noteworthy manner, going above and beyond what is normally expected to provide a high level of service or quality of work in an effort to delight their customers.
Summary
Are you a professional? Why or why not?
When no one is looking, are you leaving it all on the practice field? Why or why not?
Are you giving your boss a few extra minutes every day, or whatever it takes to get the job done and delight your customer, or looking to get out of the door as soon as you can? Why or why not?
Do the toilets you scrub and the floors you mop look like a military basic training barracks? Why or why not? Remember this: all honest work is honorable. All people who do honest work are honorable. It does not matter who they are or what they do. Honor comes in many forms, even in a bathroom stall.
Indeed, always give an encore performance.
That’s all for this week!
An Encore Performance
What’s in it for Me
Doing our best and giving an encore performance shows we care and directly helps us in achieving our dreams and living our best life. I might suggest taking the Afterburner Success Partner course so we can learn how to prioritize what’s really important to use. Or maybe read the book. Or both!
Call to Action
Purchase the book by clicking on the link in Note 1. Take the Afterburner Success Partners course.
Recommended Resources
Buy and read Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi (Note 8).
Up Next
Back to regular posting schedule.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy