by Sunil Bali, 14-06-15

Well it wasn’t actually blood; it was a glass of tomato juice that I had just knocked off my table onto the floor of the Eurostar train.

The juice must have contained customer service repellant, for as soon as it hit the floor two Eurostar hostesses moved away as fast as they could.

Any sign of customer service was conspicuous by its absence, until a very amiable chap called Guy quickly cleaned up the mess, whilst informing me that many a traveller’s drink had slid off the table at the notorious Lille bend.

Whatever the truth of this, during the next two hours to London I watched as Guy worked his socks off with a smile on his face, whilst two of his colleagues successfully executed a variety of work avoidance strategies, most of which involved chatting to each other near the bar.

A very successful hotelier once told me that hospitality is making your guests feel at home, even if you wish they were.

We want flat stomachs, fat wallets and to feel appreciated, but to live the life we want we occasionally need to go the extra mile.

In Guy’s case his efforts were rewarded.

You see I was returning from speaking at a Conference in Brussels, where the lovely chap sitting next to me, just happened to be one Nicolas Petrovic, CEO of Eurostar …… I dropped Nicolas a line.

There’s a price to pay if you want to achieve more, and there’s a price to pay for leaving things just as they are.

Whatever you decide, just don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get with the work you didn’t do.

Ps. there are no queues on the extra mile.

Humour

  1. Commenting on a complaint from a Mr. Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a spokesman for North West Gas said, "We agree it was rather high for the time of year. It’s possible Mr. Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during the explosion that destroyed his house". (The Daily Telegraph)
  2. A recent research study showed that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than men who mention it.
  3. After an argument with her husband, a woman phoned her mother and said, "I’m fed up being treated like a servant. I’m coming to live with you."

    "No," her mother replied. "Your husband needs to learn a lesson. I’m coming to live with you."

 

Have a great week.

Sunil

www.sunilbali.com