A lot of times, we barely pay attention to the people that work for us. We hardly know what their lives are like, what their dreams and aspirations are. To many, as long as we pay their salaries and they do the job that is required of them, that is more than enough to know.

But little do we know that these people , even the ones that occupy the lowest rung in the business actually are very significant to the chances of success or failure in the business. More often than not, customer’s perceptions of the business are not just shaped by our marketing and advertising efforts but thru personal interaction with our employees. If the latter show indifference, apathy or even simply bad attitude, the customer usually unconsciously assumes that it is the brand or the company that is this way. The customer then subconsciously tells himself to avoid the service, product or store.

A good friend, Germin, told me something that I will never forget. He said, “Hire for attitude, train for skills.” How many of us starting entrepreneurs really prioritize attitude in hiring over skill? Attitude over appearance? Attitude over achievements? I want to share a story about “Albert”.

We had an opening in the store and we dutifully placed an ad in the local paper. A couple of days later, I glanced over the applications and I saw one resume with a picture that looked like a mug shot. A mug shot is like a photo of a suspect taken by a policeman. The picture of “Albert” literally screamed “criminal”. Not only was it a bad picture, his attempt at a smile ended up like an evil smirk. I automatically set his application aside and told my staff that he was unacceptable.

A few days later, his application showed up in my desk again. I asked my staff if I did tell them that it was rejected, they replied in the affirmative. “So what is this again?” I asked. Apparently , “Albert” had resubmitted. I said “no, never”. And again added his application in the rejection pile.

A few days later, I saw it again, in the list of people to be interviewed. I frustratingly asked, “Why again?” “Sir, he came over to personally hand in the application and he is still here, maybe you would like to interview him.” In exasperation, I said yes.

So , I met “Albert” and interviewed him. He actually did not look like his picture. I asked him why the bad photo. He replied that he did not have the money to take a better one and I also found out that “Albert” was shy. Too shy to smile, so it ends up like a smirk. I also discovered that to make ends meet , he makes hammocks out of rope as well as other odd jobs. He proceeded to “sales talk” me into buying a hammock. The end of the story is that I did not buy a hammock although a lot of my staff did, but I did hire him. He turned out to be one of my most hard working employees as well as someone who always displays a can do attitude. He is never late and never says no. Customers like dealing with him as he is always ready with a cheerful answer and a smile. He turned out to be extremely resourceful and I count him as a blessing to the company.

So It was a lesson for me. I needed to go beyond the superficial. I needed to find out the attitude of a person and how he can apply it to his life and at work. And lastly , I learned never to be afraid to enter a situation that I end up surprised. People with the right positive attitude matter, in business its even more true. Thank you Albert for teaching me that lesson again.

Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.

For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit www.stirspecialist.com