I want you to stop and remember this morning that you have a customer (and a job) because you take away their stress in some area. The minute you forget that – or worse, begin adding to their stress – that relationship, or possibly your job, is in danger.
The longer you’re in a work relationship, the easier it is to forget that you continue to be there because you reduce stress, not because you’re a nice person and you’ve known each other for a long time.
Loyalty exists as long as you continue to reduce stress. Why do you choose the professionals in your life? Why do you shop where you do? It’s because those people decrease your stress. Once they start adding to it, you look elsewhere.
So take a minute and ask yourself these questions:
- How am I reducing the stress of the people I report to (boss, board, whoever)
- How might I be adding to these people’s level of stress?
- What new initiative have I undertaken in the last three months to reduce the stress of my customers or my boss to make them breathe a silent thank you that they have me around?
There’s always a place for someone who can take away stress.
