It’s a behavior we mostly only know as “missing” in others.
We see what others don’t do… and we complain.
We rarely see ourselves not doing a complete and thorough job.
Why? Because doing a complete and thorough job means going outside the narrow swath our cone of vision lights up.
Even when someone gives us feedback, we consider it their problem…
Here is a positive example:
I bought my internet account back in the year 2003. Much has changed since then, including what a residential service can have. So they classified my account, when the Cable Company took over, as a courtesy business account.
Trouble.
After being transferred and starting over, and confusion, and suspicious questions, and promises… nothing happened.
I called back today, three days later, to make sure I can add a phone service to my account… saving 90 bucks a month on my phone service.
And that is when the magic began. The person who took care of me: took care of me. Heard when I said: I don’t drive… heard when I said: I am not sure if my cell phone rings. And added that area to her cone of vision.
Now, it is not over, yet, but regardless: I had an experience of “complete and thorough” on the level of the person who answered the call. She went with me deep down the rabbit hole, to make sure what she can do is done.
The typical behavior is: I do what I always do… that is what I can do.
20% of what you can do… Result: boring job. No accomplishment. No fulfillment. You hate your job. You hate your life.
The behavior needs two intangible capacities, at least, on.
Complete and thorough.
But I think being able to be humble, see the big picture, letting go of control, and seeing the consequences of your actions need to be there so you can have it everywhere.
The person probably isn’t that way every place in her life… or she’d probably work in a job that pays more, that working in a call center.
Complete and thorough doesn’t mean dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s, although it is the minimum acceptable condition.
The next level is: being able to see wider than just the narrow interpretation of what is your job.
Rare, indeed.
There are two kinds of attitudes:
1. get through the task so you can do something else
2. do the task, do it well, do it fully, because that is your life, Life doesn’t begin when you are done with your “chores.”
