Last fall I was asked to speak to 3,000employees of a large supermarket chain in the Midwest on building customer loyalty1) and regenerating2) the spirit in your workplace.

One of the ideas I stressed was the importance adding a personalsignatureto your work.With all the downsizing,re-engineering,overwhelming technological3 changes and stress in the workplace,I think it is essential for each of us to find a way we can really feel good about ourselves and our jobs.One of the most powerful ways to do this is to do something that differentiates3) you from the other people that do the same thing you do.

I shared the example of a United Airlines pilot,who,after everything is under control in the cockpit4),goes to the computer and randomly5 selects several people on board the flight and handwrites them a thank-you note for their business.A graphic6 artist I work with always encloses a piece of sugarless gum in everything he sends his customers,so you never throw away any mail from him.

A Northwest Airlines baggage attend ant decided7 that his personal signature would be to collect all the luggage tags that fall off customers' suitcases,which in the past have been simply tossed in the garbage,and in his free time send them back with a note thanking them for flying Northwest.A senior manager with whom I worked decided that his personal signature would be to attach Kleenex to memos8 that he knows his employees won't like very much.

After sharing several other examples of how people add their unique spirit to their jobs,I challenged the audience to get their creative juices flowing and to come up with their own creative personal signature.

about three weeks after I had spoken to the supermarket employees,my phone rang late one afternoon.The person on the line told me that his name was Johnny and that he was a bagger in one of the stores.He also told me that he was a person with Down's syndrome5)。He said,Barbara,I liked what you said.Then he went on to tell me that when he'd gone home that night,he asked his dad to teach him to use the computer.He said they set up a program,and each night now when he goes home,he finds a thought for the day.He said when he can't find one he likes,hethinks one up.Then he types it into the computer,prints out multiple copies,cuts them out,and signs his name on the back of each one.The next day,as he bags customers' groceries6)with flourishhe puts a thought for the day in each person's groceries,adding his own personal signature in a heartwarming,fun and creative way.

One month later the manager of the store called me.He said,Barbara,you won't believe what happened today.When I went out on the floor this morning,the line at Johnny's checkout10 was three times longer than any other line.I went ballistic yelling,'Get more lanes open.Get more people out there,but the customers said,'No no.We want to be in Johnny's lanewe want the thought for the day.'

The manager said one woman approached him and said,I only used to shop once a week.Now I come here every time I go by because I want the thought for the day.(Imagine what that does to the bottom line.)He ended by saying,Who do you think is the most important person in our whole store?Johnny,of course.

Three months later he called me again.You and Johnny have transformed our store.Now in the floral department,when they have a broken flower or an unused corsage7),they go out on the floor and find an elderly woman or a little girl and pin it on them.One of our meat packers loves Snoopy,so he bought 50,000Snoopy stickers,and each time he packages a piece of meat,he puts a Snoopy sticker on it.We are having so much fun,and so are our customers.

That is spirit in the workplace.

by Barbara A.Glanz

去年秋季,我应邀就怎么样打造对客户诚信和在工作职位上激起活力向中西部一家大型连锁超市的3000名雇员讲演。

我强调的理念之一是在工作中注入个性的重要程度。面对裁员、重组、来势汹汹的技术进步和工作重压,我觉得至关要紧的是,大家每个人要探索对自己和对工作真的感到称心如意的渠道。效果最好的办法之一是,做一些能把你和做同样工作的别的人不同开来的事。

我向听众介绍了一位联合航空公司驾驶员的做法。他在驾驶舱里所有筹备就绪后,从电脑里随便挑选几名机上的乘客,亲笔写下感谢客户对机组业务支持的便条。与我共事的一名平面造型艺术画家,总在他寄给客户的任何邮件中附上一块无糖口香糖。如此一来,你从来不会扔掉他寄来的任何东西!

西北航空公司一名行李员的个性化服务,是采集所有从乘客箱子上脱落的行李签,这类在过去都被扔进垃圾箱。在闲暇时,他把行李签寄回,并附上一张便条感谢他们乘坐西北航空企业的飞机。曾与我共事的一位高级经理决定,在给雇员发他了解他们不如何喜欢的备忘录时附上纸巾。

我在另外举了几个例子说明大家怎么样将各自独特的个性化理念融入工作后,需要听众开动脑筋,想源于己的有新意的个性化服务。

那次讲演约3周后,一天下午晚些时候我的电话铃响了。他们告诉我说他叫约翰尼,在那家连锁超市的一家店里当装袋员。他还对我说他患有唐氏综合症。他说:芭芭拉,我喜欢你的讲演。随后,他又告诉我那天晚上回到家,他请他父亲教他用电脑。他说他们父子两个编制了一个程序。目前他天天晚上回家后就找当天的警句。他说,找不到他喜欢的就自己想一句。然后他打进电脑,印出多份,剪裁后在背面签上我们的名字。第二天,给客户买的食品杂货装袋时,用炫耀性的动作在袋里放进一张印有警句的条子,提供暖人心房、有趣和颇有新意的个性化服务。

1个月之后,商店经理打电话给我。他说:芭芭拉,你不会相信今天发生的事。早上我来到营业厅,约翰尼的那个付款台前排的队,比任何别的收款台要长3倍。我气恼地叫喊:'多开几个收款台!多上些人!'可是客户们却说:'不要,不要!大家要站在约翰尼这一行,大家想要今天的警句。'

经理说,有位妇女来对他说:我以前一个星期只买一次东西。目前我路过这儿就进去,由于我想要当天的警句!(你可以想像这对商店营业收入意味着什么!)他最后说道:你想哪个是大家整个商店非常重要的人物?没的说,是约翰尼!

3个月之后,那经理又打来电话。你和约翰尼把大家的商店变了样!目前大家店的花卉部一有根茎折断的花或没用上的装饰花,他们就进入营业厅,把花别在老年妇女或小姑娘身上。有个肉品包装工喜欢小狗史努比,就买了5万个史努比粘胶标签。每次包装肉品时贴上一个标签。大家的乐趣可大啦,客户也挺开心!

这就是工作场合的活力!

1. loyalty1 n. 忠诚,诚信

2. regenerating2 n. 激起活力

3. differentiate4 v. 不同, 区别

4. cockpit n. 驾驶员座舱

5. syndrome9 n. 综合病症

6. groceries n. 食品;杂货

7. corsage n. 装饰花