Last fall I was asked to speak to 3，000employees of a large supermarket chain in the Midwest on building customer loyalty1） and regenerating2） the spirit in your workplace.

One of the ideas I stressed was the importance adding a personal“signature”to your work.With all the downsizing，re－engineering，overwhelming technological changes and stress in the workplace，I think it is essential for each of us to find a way we can really feel good about ourselves and our jobs.One of the most powerful ways to do this is to do something that differentiates3） you from the other people that do the same thing you do.

I shared the example of a United Airlines pilot，who，after everything is under control in the cockpit4），goes to the computer and randomly selects several people on board the flight and handwrites them a thank－you note for their business.A graphic artist I work with always encloses a piece of sugarless gum in everything he sends his customers，so you never throw away any mail from him.

A Northwest Airlines baggage attend ant decided that his personal signature would be to collect all the luggage tags that fall off customers' suitcases，which in the past have been simply tossed in the garbage，and in his free time send them back with a note thanking them for flying Northwest.A senior manager with whom I worked decided that his personal signature would be to attach Kleenex to memos that he knows his employees won't like very much.

After sharing several other examples of how people add their unique spirit to their jobs，I challenged the audience to get their creative juices flowing and to come up with their own creative personal signature.

About three weeks after I had spoken to the supermarket employees，my phone rang late one afternoon.The person on the line told me that his name was Johnny and that he was a bagger in one of the stores.He also told me that he was a person with Down's syndrome5）。He said，“Barbara，I liked what you said.”Then he went on to tell me that when he'd gone home that night，he asked his dad to teach him to use the computer.He said they set up a program，and each night now when he goes home，he finds a “thought for the day.”He said when he can't find one he likes，he“thinks one up.”Then he types it into the computer，prints out multiple copies，cuts them out，and signs his name on the back of each one.The next day，as he bags customers' groceries6）——“with flourish”——he puts a thought for the day in each person's groceries，adding his own personal signature in a heartwarming，fun and creative way.

One month later the manager of the store called me.He said，“Barbara，you won't believe what happened today.When I went out on the floor this morning，the line at Johnny's checkout was three times longer than any other line.I went ballistic yelling，'Get more lanes open.Get more people out there，but the customers said，'No no.We want to be in Johnny's lane——we want the thought for the day.'”

The manager said one woman approached him and said，“I only used to shop once a week.Now I come here every time I go by because I want the thought for the day.”（Imagine what that does to the bottom line.）He ended by saying，“Who do you think is the most important person in our whole store？Johnny，of course.”

Three months later he called me again.“You and Johnny have transformed our store.Now in the floral department，when they have a broken flower or an unused corsage7），they go out on the floor and find an elderly woman or a little girl and pin it on them.One of our meat packers loves Snoopy，so he bought 50，000Snoopy stickers，and each time he packages a piece of meat，he puts a Snoopy sticker on it.We are having so much fun，and so are our customers.”

That is spirit in the workplace.

by Barbara A.Glanz

去年秋天，我應(yīng)邀就如何建立對顧客誠信和在工作崗位上激發(fā)活力向中西部一家大型連鎖超市的3000名雇員講演。

我強調(diào)的理念之一是在工作中注入個性的重要性。面對裁員、重組、勢不可擋的技術(shù)進步和工作壓力，我認為至關(guān)重要的是，我們每一個人要探尋對自己和對工作真正感到稱心如意的途徑。最有效的方法之一是，做一些能把你和做同樣工作的其他人區(qū)別開來的事。

我向聽眾介紹了一位聯(lián)合航空公司駕駛員的做法。他在駕駛艙里一切準備就緒后，從電腦里隨意挑選幾名機上的乘客，親筆寫下感謝顧客對機組業(yè)務(wù)支持的便條。與我共事的一名平面造型藝術(shù)畫家，總在他寄給顧客的任何郵件中附上一塊無糖口香糖。這樣一來，你永遠不會扔掉他寄來的任何東西！

西北航空公司一名行李員的個性化服務(wù)，是收集所有從乘客箱子上掉落的行李簽，這些在過去都被扔進垃圾箱。在閑暇時，他把行李簽寄回，并附上一張便條感謝他們乘坐西北航空公司的飛機。曾與我共事的一位高級經(jīng)理決定，在給雇員發(fā)他知道他們不怎么喜歡的備忘錄時附上紙巾。

我在另外舉了幾個例子說明人們?nèi)绾螌⒏髯元毺氐膫€性化理念融入工作后，要求聽眾開動腦筋，想出自己的有新意的個性化服務(wù)。

那次講演約3周后，一天下午晚些時候我的電話鈴響了。對方告訴我說他叫約翰尼，在那家連鎖超市的一家店里當裝袋員。他還對我說他患有唐氏綜合癥。他說：“芭芭拉，我喜歡你的講演。”隨后，他又告訴我那天晚上回到家，他請他爸爸教他使用電腦。他說他們父子倆編制了一個程序?，F(xiàn)在他每天晚上回家后就找“當天的警句”。他說，找不到他喜歡的就自己“想一句”。然后他打進電腦，印出多份，剪裁后在背面簽上自己的名字。第二天，給顧客買的食品雜貨裝袋時，“用炫耀性的動作”在袋里放進一張印有警句的條子，提供暖人心房、有趣和頗有新意的個性化服務(wù)。

1個月之后，商店經(jīng)理打電話給我。他說：“芭芭拉，你不會相信今天發(fā)生的事。早上我來到營業(yè)廳，約翰尼的那個付款臺前排的隊，比任何別的收款臺要長3倍。我氣惱地叫喊：'多開幾個收款臺！多上些人！'可是顧客們卻說：'不要，不要！我們要站在約翰尼這一行，我們想要今天的警句。'”

經(jīng)理說，有位婦女來對他說：“我以前一個星期只買一次東西?，F(xiàn)在我路過這兒就進來，因為我想要當天的警句！”（你可以想像這對商店營業(yè)收入意味著什么！）他最后說道：“你想誰是我們整個商店最重要的人物？沒的說，是約翰尼！”

3個月之后，那經(jīng)理又打來電話?！澳愫图s翰尼把我們的商店變了樣！現(xiàn)在我們店的花卉部一有根莖折斷的花或沒用上的裝飾花，他們就進入營業(yè)廳，把花別在老年婦女或小女孩身上。有個肉品包裝工喜歡小狗史努比，就買了5萬個史努比粘膠標簽。每次包裝肉品時貼上一個標簽。我們的樂趣可大啦，顧客也挺高興！”

這就是工作場所的活力！

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