A new family moved in next door this Spring. Early on I met Dad and a short while later I met Mom and the boys. Over the next few weeks I observed a family that was a very industrious team. They immediately got to work cleaning up last year’s leaves, mowing grass, trimming shrubs and opening the swimming pool, a major task in itself.
In the course of time, Mom mentioned that her oldest son, Kevin, was interested in doing yard work and odd jobs to earn his own spending money. Was their first impression of me that of an older gentleman who could use some help? I have two riding lawn mowers, but I like the look of having the lawn done with a push mower, and in my opinion, it is easier on the turf. So, Kevin and I agreed on an hourly wage and he reported for work.
In preparation for mowing, and as a bit of a test, I put him on the task of picking up a zillion pine cones. I was totally impressed! He was methodical, thorough and focused on accomplishing the task. Soon after, I promoted him to mowing.
The day Kevin was to start mowing my yard, I asked him how much experience he had with a push mower. He thought very carefully, it seemed he didn’t want to minimize or exaggerate his experience. He concluded his thinking by stating that he had about 2 ½ minutes of total experience. Excellent! After discussing safety and some techniques for aiming the mower toward the goal of accomplishing reasonably straight lines Kevin’s Lawn Care Service commenced operations!
Kevin has push mowed my lawn in sections as his schedule allowed, and in its entirety one Saturday. I typically assign the direction I want it mowed; cross cut, angle cut, parallel to the street, etc. I am particular about the lawn and the way it is cut and Kevin’s ability to cut straight lines has steadily improved.
In the title I stated this was about work and ethics. How does a young boy mowing my lawn relate to those who serve the needs of others in healthcare? If I tell you more about how Kevin is working out I think you can come to your own conclusions-
Recently, Kevin called me to inform me that hockey and track are over, and he is available after 6:00 pm weekdays and all day on Saturday. I was not at home at the time of his call, and the thickest part of my lawn needed mowing, so I asked Kevin if he would complete the task in my absence.
Here is what happened. . . He opened the shed, checked out the mower, he made a decision about the direction this particular section should be mowed, mowed it to perfection, returned the mower to the shed, locked it, then called me about returning the key to its proper location.
Kevin is eleven. I hope you can read between the lines to see how impressed I am with this young man! His future is bright!
Kevin’s work ethic directed him to comply with known expectations and to exceed them! I am still talking about his “spot on” performance! What is the nature of the companies that provide service for you:
- Are they continually growing in their areas of expertise i.e. keeping up with technology?
- Do they anticipate and make themselves available to serve your needs?
- Do they work in a methodical, thorough and focused effort?
- Do they see things through to the end and leave you in a better state than when they began?
If not, maybe you need Kevin (or Innovative Medical Systems) to come and help! At Innovative Medical Systems, we take customer service very seriously and pride ourselves on doing things right. We look forward to serving you.
