Service.
A Beautiful Word.
Skip the Modifiers.

I may have been misunderstood when I wrote/Tweeted that we don’t need “Wow service” (Peters), “Raving fans” (Blanchard) or “Memorable experience” (Pine and Gilmore). The word “service,” all by its lonesome, will more than suffice.

I was not dissing myself or Ken or Joe or Jim. I like and think important and have written extensively about all of the above formulations.

But here’s my deal (I repeat):

Organizations exist only to serve.
Leaders exist only to serve.

That is “service”—WITHOUT MODIFIERS—is a sacred word.
To “be of service” is the highest aspiration possible.
To have “been of service” is the highest tribute possible.

Ponder the word service.
Have you, boss or non-boss … BEEN OF SERVICE … today?

That is: To the extent possible, review every transaction-exchange today or in, say, the last 3 hours. Even the most fleeting transaction. Have you unfailingly offered support or acknowledged a good effort or in some way nudged the person you were with forward just a smidgeon—i.e., have you … UNFAILINGLY & PRO-ACTIVELY … been “of service”?

Be tough on yourself. Or, at least, honest with yourself.
Every opportunity to “be of service” that you miss is gone for eternity.

Tom Peters posted this on June 24, 2010, in Service.
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