Taking Pride in Your Work

Sometimes, it is hard to come up with topics for a blog post. Other times, life just puts inspiration down in front of you. Last week, that inspiration came in the form of our mail carrier, when I came home to this:

Every detail of how you do your job reflects on you and your business (or the company you work for).  We spend so much time talking about company culture and how a business makes people feel – the personal connection that keeps people coming back again and again – but how often do we consider it in regards to the people we encounter regularly?

You don’t have to be the business owner, or an employee at a multi-million dollar retail corporation, to be an important reflection of a company.  Sure the CEO may be most visible, and therefore his or her public actions are important, but it is the day to day roles that have the most impact and are the most outward facing.

When I see something like this delivery, I feel like the employee doesn’t recognize the importance of their role. The labeling is so obvious, and so clearly disregarded.  As a client, it may make someone doubt the service.  They delivered the package – but they didn’t go the extra mile to make sure it was delivered well.

How can we combat this sort of apathy in business?  Sure, the mail carrier is meant to deliver packages – but rather than “delivering a package,” can we reframe it as “delivering joy”? Suddenly the act of delivery is important – and personal. The mail carrier feels important and empowered, and takes a little more pride in what he or she does.

This simple act served as a reminder to me that while a design as a whole is important, so are the details of the design. By paying attention and delivering work right the first time, I say to my clients “You are important. I care.”

How do you go the extra mile for your clients?  Does your work reflect your company is a positive light?