How Much Pride Do You Take In What You Do?

A guest post by Jennifer Monahan-Searles.

I recently took my first trip to Japan. The country was beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the many shrines, temples and museums while I was there.

However, what impressed me most about Japan was the consistent level of personal pride each person I interacted with took in what he or she did. Here are some example snapshots:

Snapshot 1: Every cab that I took was incredibly clean. In fact, the back seat in each was covered with a white lace slipcover. The drivers wear white gloves and open and shut the door for you (you never have to touch the door handle). They are courteous and polite. And – here’s the kicker – they do not accept tips. You pay the fare amount only. When I tried to tip one driver that had been especially helpful, he adamantly refused the tip.

Snapshot 2: Shopkeepers greet you with a “good morning” or a “good afternoon” when you walk in. In fact, any store staff member that walks by greets you. When you leave – regardless of whether or not you purchased something – you are politely thanked. When I did purchase something, the item was carefully wrapped and then put in a bag. The cashier showed respect for every item purchased, even if that item cost only a couple dollars.

Snapshot 3: About 8 grammar school-aged children stopped me one day to ask me where I lived and why I was visiting. They wanted to practice speaking English and each asked me one question. (Their English was a lot better than my Japanese!) When we had finished talking, they presented me with a couple origami cranes and an origami sword as a thank you for my time. The little boy that made the sword carefully took it out of the envelope and showed me how to remove the paper sword from its paper sheath. He obviously was very proud of his work and wanted to make sure I knew how to use the sword.

Snapshot 4: The CEO of a company that I did a sales presentation to while in Tokyo took the time to meet with me individually prior to my presentation to his team. He not only made sure that I had everything I needed, but also expressed his gratitude – before the meeting – for the time I was spending with his organization (even though I was pitching business to him and his organization) and said that he was sure that his team would learn a lot from our meeting.

Snapshot 5: A wonderful woman that I stopped to ask directions of went above and beyond. She was waiting at a bus stop and pointed me in the direction I needed to go. I walked about 2 blocks and realized that I had somehow made a mistake. I had just turned around to backtrack my steps when I heard a woman’s voice calling out – it was the same woman that I had asked directions of. She had watched me walk, saw that I had made a wrong turn, and came running after me in the pouring rain to show me the right way to go.

She missed her bus to make sure that I got to where I was going. At another point during my trip, a high-school aged young man saw me looking at a map and asked me where I was trying to go. When I told him I was trying to find a specific subway station, he not only told me how to get there, but walked the 20 minutes to make sure I found it okay, and then waited to make sure I got on the right train.

None of these people expected anything more than a thank you. They found personal pleasure in doing something well, and that was reward enough. And, as a result, I had an incredible time and am looking forward to going back to Japan.

My experience got me thinking about personal pride and how much of an impact it can have not only on yourself but also on the people you come into contact with. What an impact just saying “thank you” can have.

Think what a different world we would live in if people were consistently respectful and courteous to each other and took pride in every action they took, regardless whether they were the CEO of a large company or a second-grader who had just made a paper sword as a gift.

I personally have started “amping up” the level of pride I take in everything I do and expressing gratitude as frequently as possible. I challenge each of you to do the same — let me know the results.

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Jennifer Monahan-Searles spends her days (and occasional evenings and weekends!) helping organizations understand their customers, using that insight to create better customer experiences and relationships. She has just started a blog on customer strategy.

When not working, you can usually find her exploring her favorite city, San Francisco.

Tagged as: Careers, Global Cultures, Jennifer Monahan-Searles, Motivation, Travel