Pride in Expertise

What a difference a day makes!

After returning home on the red-eye, we were eagerly looking forward to seeing the results of having the wallpaper removed and fresh, neutral colors on the walls of our home. Alas it was not to be.

The wallpaper was gone and the walls were painted – but the repair work necessary before painting had been sporadic at best, the clean-up was non-existent, our disappointment was huge.

After eight hours of combining our efforts to clear a path, we were able to unpack and take a good look at what had and had not been accomplished – sadly it was mostly had not. The amazing thing was, there were some things done extremely well, and others not at all. We wondered at the thought process that allowed for excellent work at one point and total lack of attention at others.

The more we looked, the more we saw and the more disappointed we became.

Early the next morning the call was made to the general contractor, who came as soon as possible to view the results. Fortunately, we had the presence of mind to take pictures before we cleaned things up. The contractor was horrified. The sad part – he is truly a nice guy; not new to the business, but new to his own business. This was not the kind of unhappy customers he wanted.

To his credit, he went away making all the appropriate noises about rectifying things. Within an hour or so, he called back, said a different crew would be here this morning at 8 am to fix things.

What a difference a day makes. Someone who cares about what he does, has an amazing work ethic and the professional integrity to complement that ethic. The house already feels different, not to mention that it’s going to look terrific!

It is good to know that there are those in every industry who care about what they do, who are expert at what they do, who care about their customers and their results.

I don’t know if the contractor will actually make any money on this project or not. I do know that his ability to make it right in a short time frame has been amazing. Through it all, lessons have been learned on both sides of the contract. For me, it’s always about the people side – how I’m treated makes the difference. How those I work with, or for, think about doing a job well, makes the difference.

How are you making a difference with your clients or customers, family or friends? Are you doing only what it takes to get by, or do you care about what you do and who you do it for? What kind of difference do you make?

It;s great to know what a difference a day makes!

Susan Luke
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Posted on September 22nd, 2009 in Stories From Everyday Life | 12 Comments »