Clive Simpkins

Pay it forward!

I don't know who it was that said, 'the only time you want to get even with someone is when they've done something good to you.' A beautiful sentiment and one which we can apply to both social and business advantage.

Kevin Spacey's role [he's pictured left] in the 'Pay it Forward' movie had a major impact on me years back. You may recall the story. Schoolteacher briefs kids to come up with a project that can change the world. In a nutshell, one little fellow has the idea that if anyone does something good to or for you, you 'pay it forward' to several other people. There's no 'pay back' to the person who did the favour. On this basis everyone understands that you 'make the circle beega' by allowing the ripples of gratitude to touch many others.

I'm a hopeless mathematician but I guess someone can do the sums and show how such an approach would significantly benefit communities and indeed even countries, if widely enough adopted. What I particularly like about it is that it encourages a spirit of sustainable generosity and expansion.

All too often over many years of playing mentor to many people both formally and informally, I've run across a mercifully small percentage of 'grabby' people. Who suffer from the IMM syndrome – I, Me and Mine. It's all about them. Whatever they're able to extract, beg, borrow, plagiarise, steal or leverage from someone else will be used exclusively for their own advantage. I stress that they're in the minority.

In my time as a freelance Talk Radio 702 show host many years back, I came to realise something. Most people want to help. Most people are inherently generous. But they need you to be very specific about how you wish them to help. I recall an instance where the Jukskei river had come down in flood due to heavy summer rains. Shacks had been washed away (as they are every year) near Alexandra Township in Johannesburg. We put out an appeal for help and it appeared to fall on deaf ears. Until someone more experienced than we were said, 'Tell people exactly what you want and where you want it delivered.' We asked for plastic sheeting, blankets, tinned food, bottled water, candles and matches. Within the hour truckloads of supplies were being delivered to the receiving centre. There's a wonderful lesson in this.

There are those who are good at admin, planning, logistics and co-ordination. I'm not. I'm an ideas man and a 'connector' of other people to resources. So the important take-away is to realise where we can best apply our talents and God-given abilities when the planet experiences or expresses a need.

The famed Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda said that 'service to man is worship of God.' That the highest service we can do is to serve other human beings. That's something that would fit comfortably with all religions I guess. The Gift of the Givers organisation (a wonderful Islamic co-ordinated non-denominational relief organisation) has the concept summed up in its name. Those who assist or 'give' are the real recipients in the process. To go Hindu or new-agey, its 'good karma' being built up in the spiritual bank account.

Don't be put off by the somewhat philosophical tone of this thinking. It's well-demonstrated in the field of psychology that those who give of themselves and their energies (not just their money) are mentally healthier, better balanced and happier people. It's an intrinsic of human nature that we want to and need to be involved in acts of generosity and altruism.

From today, let's all adopt the visionary young student's thought. Tell whoever does something good for you that you'll be paying it forward to several others with their kindness in mind. Tell those who ask how they can pay you back to go and pay it forward. There's an intergalactic positive revolution embedded in the concept.

[This was published in RISKsa magazine September 2010]

 

The heart of your business

The era of e-mail, the Internet and abbreviated communications has brought with it increasing levels of discourtesy in business interaction. Call centre training seems to have been exhausted by the constant 'churn' factor (staff changes). The absence of social sophistication in those dealing with queries has led to dreadful social gaffes becoming the norm.

Can you or I change the pattern? Maybe not at a macro level, but certainly for ourselves and those immediately around us – the answer is yes. Part of the brand proposition of your business, service or product offering is the social engagement that goes with what you do.

'Polite' may not sound cool – but it's the foundation from which we need to work. We simply can't afford to treat a customer (for want of another word) in any way other than with politeness, warmth, appreciation and indeed gratitude for the fact that they're actually our salary cheque speaking.

I recently had the opportunity of staying in an incredibly expensive hotel, courtesy of a client who clearly saw that as the right thing to do since I was working with their people in that city. Bless 'em. For the inflated price I knew they were paying, I had the privilege of being a number. There was a seamless and yet utterly soulless smoothness to the machine that the hotel was. It was a people-processor. Perfect service, perfect smiles but literally devoid of a personal touch or a sincere word from the staff. The high in the sky double-glazed windows that insulated my executive suite from the outside world and left me cocooned in a strange silence, was the metaphor for the hotel's overall approach.

The business assignment over, I decided to spend the weekend in Cape Town to recover some energies and give myself a mental break. I checked at my own expense into a highly personable, way more down to earth little hotel. The doorman deviated from his job description when he saw my equipment cases piled in the back of the car. He became bellhop and concierge all at once. Inviting me to drive into the parking garage where he met me with a trolley. He then insisted (not with that 'I know I'll get a big tip' manner either) on making my arrival painless and really pleasant. His behaviour was as if he owned the hotel – which he certainly didn't.

Being as tuned into communication experiences as I am I couldn't help notice the contrast between the two establishments. The one was almost what I'd have expected at a Swiss euthanasia clinic. Professional, no-nonsense but remote. The other – a much more comforting way to die if you'll excuse the continued analogy.

That same trip saw me use a car hire company at Cape Town airport. On a Friday afternoon at 16:20, there was just one attendant behind the counter. I began to hell-raise, as is my habit when I encounter bad service. Because I always contrast it with the experience I try to give people when I work with them. Interesting for me was the surly attitude of the supervisor who had been pried out from behind the scenes. Her comment: I'm not officially on duty yet. That's the difference between someone doing a job and someone with a vocation for good service. The irritated customers (yes, there were other but silent sufferers) were not her concern until she got 'officially' on duty. The brand and reputation damage wasn't her bag. Although a supervisor, she was after all just an employee. I asked for the head office phone number and left a message for the MD (she wasn't available after 16:30). Nobody ever returned my call. So I'm not surprised that the supervisor echoes the so-called leadership lack of service or interest.

Have you examined lately, how your customers and clients might be feeling about you, your staff and your business? It's never too late to start making small changes that make a big difference. Try it. You, your staff and the clients will like it.