What a simple, yet powerful turn of phrase from Dr. Dyer. He could sometimes get a little “out there” for my taste, but he never failed to inspire me.
Another one of my favorites from him is, “When you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice. Why? Because that’s what’s inside. When life or other people squeeze or put pressure on you, what comes out? Whatever is already inside.”
I might have to save that one for Simple Secrets: Volume II.
Dr. Dyer used to tell the story of coming back to his hotel after a run, and discovering he’d just missed the complimentary breakfast by a few minutes. “Sorry,” the concierge said, “Kitchen’s closed until lunch.”
In Business:
The next day, he vowed to get back from his run a little earlier, but was still a few minutes past the cutoff. This time there was a different concierge on duty, but Dr. Dyer didn’t even bother to ask, and just went to his room.
A few minutes passed and there was a knock on his door. It was today’s concierge holding a small tray with a couple of doughnuts, a muffin, a bagel, and some orange juice.
He said, “I noticed your face when you came in and saw them taking down the breakfast bar, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed you a little assortment before they put everything away. Hope you enjoy!”
He called that guy an “eagle,” because he was flying high, observant, towering above all others. The original concierge was a “duck,” floating in a pond of mediocrity, just quacking along with all the other ducks.
This story has found its way into the personal shorthand between my wife and me. Say there’s an erroneous charge on a statement. “Were you able to get it resolved?” I ask.
“Not at first,” my wife might say. “I got a duck, but I called back twice until I got an eagle and it’s done.”
In your business, ask yourself if you’re being a duck or an eagle.
In Life:
I know it’s weird to use a life example for the business section and a business example for the life section, but I’m controlling my inner perfectionist and going with it.
In the TV series Mad Men, Don Draper is having trouble with a client and fellow partner Roger Sterling keenly observes, “You’re not good at relationships because you don’t value them.”
That’s it. You go the extra mile for things you value without giving it a second thought. You polish the fine silver, you get your best canine friend the memory-foam dog bed instead of the cheaper version, and you make back-ups of the back-ups of your computer hard drive with all your family photos.
Decide which relationships you truly value and it will be easy to go the extra mile.
So remember…
It’s never crowded along the extra mile.
— Dr. Wayne Dyer