When you’re accountable you set high expectations for yourself. When your expectations of yourselves are high, you become an inspiration for others. Not only do you feel good, others will as well. Your caring mindset will become vital.
Here is a simple experience I had at the Detroit Metro Airport. It perfectly illustrates what I’m talking about. I walked into a man’s bathroom at the airport. It is an airport I go to pretty regularly. Most of the washrooms at that airport are nothing to write home about. When I walked into this one, I stopped in my tracks. It was immaculate.
My eyes immediately spotted the janitor who was wiping down a counter top. I went over to him and told him how impressed I was. He obviously thanked me for my compliment and told me he considered it as his responsibility to ensure that anyone using his bathroom had a good experience. Talk about a caring mindset!
I asked him if he enjoyed what he did, expecting to hear it is his job. Instead he told me, “I love my job” and it showed. I told him that I came through this airport often and would continue to use his restroom. He explained to me that he was not always responsible for that particular bathroom but that I would know which one was his and I agreed.
I finally boarded my flight, sitting down next to a man who did nothing but complain. This guy was nothing but negative energy, so I decided to share my bathroom experience with him. When I finished, the passenger smiled and relaxed and enjoyed the rest of his flight. Because the janitor inspired me I was then able to inspire this passenger.
Remember, when you set your own expectations high, you cannot help but inspire others and that’s the power of a caring mindset.
One of the world’s pre-eminent experts on quality and process improvements, Subir Chowdhury is the #1 international bestselling author on SIX SIGMA philosophy. Hailed by The New York Times as a “leading Quality expert,” and by Business Week as “the Quality Prophet”, he is the author of 15 books. His latest book THE DIFFERENCE: When Good Enough Isn’t Enough (Crown Business, 2017) made it to the USA Today Bestseller list as well as National Bestseller in India. In 2017, India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur established the ‘Subir Chowdhury School of Quality and Reliability’ – the first of its kind in Asia. He is the Chairman and CEO of ASI Consulting Group and helped his clients save billions of dollars.