If your time is money, what about others’ time?
Time management is an art and a responsibility too, especially when you are accountable to someone’s time. A few have it in them, some try to become better and some will never learn. This has nothing to do with your education, designation, position, status, whether at workplace or home or elsewhere. Here goes a story.
Today medicines are sold online but a few years back, one had to go to the pharmacy and buy the medicines. Later, some stores, initiated home delivery within a feasible radius from their stores.
Just a couple of years back or so, I had ordered medicines and conveyed to the store that I would pick up the medicine as I would be out of home, that made home delivery difficult. After about three hours, I went to the store and perhaps the cost of medicines was around Rs 378. To my surprise, the small made curious and generally talkative counter girl had kept the pack ready with the bill and with a change of Rs 122. She had predicted that I would handover Rs 500 and hence she was ready with the bill, medicines neatly packed and the change!!! I asked her as to how she predicted and what made her to be ready to dispose of the customer in quick time. The reply was instant. “Sir, whether my time is important or not, your time is important and hence I have to be ready like this for every customer to the best extent possible”. WOW!!! this sounds simple, but not many pay respect to another person’s time. That little girl perhaps developed this trait without being told. I thanked her genuinely and really loved her work culture, anticipation, customer handling and ultimately building the brand perception.
Just after this incident, I had a business travel to meet one of the CEOs of a large company and obviously the appointment and the agenda were clearly fixed with him through his secretary and the agenda was also confirmed.
After reaching their office we waited ( a colleague also accompanied me ) for about forty minutes, which is generally normal and acceptable. The CEO sent another person to meet me and he was irrelevant for the subject of the meeting and a little later he walked in an asked me as to why I wanted to meet him. I was shocked. I explained and he never seemed to show any interest in our services, wasn’t prepared to even understand and told me that he thought I was from a software company !!!! I realized we had wasted our time and money for sure and was deeply disappointed that he didn’t care to even feel tad bad about it. I thanked him and handed over my name card which he duly and immediately returned stating that if required, we would anyhow be contacted. WOW!!! Another experience.
When I boarded the flight back to my city, I picked up that day’s business daily and there was a great article on him. I smiled at it and for some reason, I remembered the little girl at the pharmacy store.
Lessons are around us.
