Too Big To Handle A Small Request - Grasshopper

I have no evidence to back this up but it seems to me the beginning of the end happens when we become too big to handle a small request.

“The end of what?” you may ask.  Any relationship: personal, business, casual or otherwise.

 

“Little Things Mean A Lot” was a hit song eons ago but its message is still alive and well, but fewer and fewer are heeding its wisdom.

 

“Too big” can translate to a lot of things but “Busy and important” is the biggest offender. “I’m too busy to be sending a ‘thank you’ note.” “I’m too important to be handling such a trivial request.” Reminds me of a story . . .

 

About 7 years ago I bought my first iMac computer and loved it. After a while, I decided I needed more memory and contacted Apple regarding upgrading my memory chips. They sent them out but sent the wrong ones. They worked but didn’t increase the memory. I called Apple again to report the mistake. They told me in order to send the correct memory chips, I would have send back the errant chips and pay for the new correct chips before they could send them. That meant I would have to pay for the additional memory twice until they received the errant chips back. That did not sit well with me since it obviously was their error. I hung up angry.

 

I went online looking for the email address of Steve Jobs, legendary CEO of Apple. Someone listed an address that they had used successfully years before but doubted it would still be operational. I took a shot and shot off an email to Steve Jobs to assuage my angst with this in the subject line: You would be aghast in what’s being done in your name.

 

Three hours later, I received a call from someone high up in the Apple hierarchy telling me my new memory chips were on the way and I wouldn’t be charged for the new ones and my credit card would be credited for the initial purchase. That meant I got the upgraded memory chips for free.

 

I could certainly afford the chips but the fact that someone BIG got that email and fulfilled a small request has stuck with me since and has made me an Apple customer for life. I’ll never know whether Steve Jobs got that email or not but someone with clout did and did something about it.

 

This poses a question: What are we taking for granted? Is it someone’s love, someone’s kindness, our customers, or someone else that needs attention? Find the answer to that question and act on it and you’ll be mending less wounds with stitches and keep yourself from becoming too big for your britches.

 

All the best,

John