Finding Passion in Odd Places

My wife and I live in a 90-year-old Arts and Crafts bungalow. Over the years, we’ve filled it with Stickley mission-style furniture. Last month we did some housecleaning, gave away some stuff and made room for a Harvey Ellis rocker. It was the first new piece of Stickley furniture we’d purchased in seven years.

The guy who delivered the chair left a lasting impression. He told my wife that he remembered our house and recounted for her the pieces of Stickley he’d delivered to our home over the past decade.

We have a bookcase in the living room that isn’t Stickley. He examined it closely and pointed out the similarities and differences between the Stickley model and ours. His knowledge of the product line and enthusiasm for all things Stickley were exhilarating. If he didn’t have other deliveries to make, I’m sure he and my wife could have conversed for an hour or more.

When we meet people like this delivery guy with passion for their work, it’s energizing and begs the question, “Why can’t more workers be like him?”

Isn’t one of the primary jobs of a leader to find good people and inspire them to do outstanding work? What’s it worth to a company to have the last person to have contact with your customer make a great impression? It demonstrates the value of finding good people for each and every job in the organization. No job is unimportant and it’s nice to find passion where you don’t expect it.