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Article
Patience
Copyright © All rights reserved
By Ken Chapman, Ph.D.
Ken Chapman & Associates, Inc.
The staff at a particular coffee shop was having “one of those
days.” The espresso machine was malfunctioning, the bakery had not delivered
the bagels and sweet rolls, someone from the morning shift called in sick, and
the crew from the previous evening failed to restock the cabinets with
supplies. There were several people waiting to get their first cup of coffee
for the day.
A woman at the back of the line began to complain loudly, “What is
taking so long? Are you growing the beans back there or what? I don’t have
all day.”
“Yes, we are running on empty this morning,” the manager said
with a pleasant smile.
He motioned for the woman to come forward. “What can I get for you?”
“I want a large coffee with steamed milk to go,” barked the
woman.
“No problem,” said the manager. He looked past the woman to
the other customers waiting in line and offered them a reassuring wink. In a
matter of moments, he had made the woman’s coffee, took the money, sent her on
her way with a “Have a nice day.”
The other customers stood silently with confused looks on their
faces. The manager said, “Thanks, I’m really sorry for the inconvenience this
morning. Because you have all been so patient, your coffee is on the house.”
Sometimes there is more to gain by being patient than by making
demands.
For more information about Ken Chapman and
Associates’ Leadership Development Programs, contact Ken Chapman at
205.366.0265 or email Ken at
kchapman@leaderscode.com.
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