Special Delivery

     When I got home late this afternoon from a talk I did in the Baltimore, MD area this morning, I got an e-mail from a woman I know who works for a large regional employer.  Her employer has been using my book, Fundamentally Different, as the main discussion text in a leadership development course they've been running for about 25-30 future leaders.  Well it seems that they just added 4 more people to the class and were desperate to get their hands on some additional copies of the book ASAP.  When the woman checked with Amazon, she found she couldn't get the books as quickly as she needed, so she reached out to me.

     Thankfully I keep a supply of books at my house.  Within an hour of receiving her e-mail, I personally delivered the copies to her so that she could get them in people's hands by tomorrow.  While I certainly had a few other things on my plate when I got home, she had an urgent need and I wanted to find a way to respond.

     While this could just as easily be filed under "customer service" as it could under "kindness", in some respects, they're one and the same.  At the heart of great customer service is a genuine desire to help other people.  It isn't so much about policies and procedures as much as it's about a personal commitment and passion to help.  And isn't that what kindess is all about as well?

A Fundamentally Different Gift

     I received an e-mail the other day from a friend with whom I had recently reconnected (thanks to LinkedIn).  In his e-mail, he introduced me to a friend of his who he thought shared many traits in common with me and suggested that it would be good for us to get to know each other.  In addition, he asked if I would send this person a signed copy of my book as a gift that he would gladly pay for.

     I went ahead and got a book in the mail to the friend with a personal inscription; and I have no intention of accepting money from the guy who suggested it.  I love to share my book, Fundamentally Different, with as many people as possible as I know how much they'll enjoy it and get value from it.  While I obviously can't give them all away for free, it's fun to be able to use it as a gift in appropriate situations.  This was definitely one of those situations.

     As I sent the book off, I got to thinking about the investments we make in relationships.  It seems to me that it's kind of like planting seeds in a garden, though with less foreknowledge of the fruit they will bear.  I've tried to be as helpful as I can to as many people as I can in as many ways as I reasonably can, without worrying too much about how, or even if, I'll be repaid.  Instead, I trust in a sort of universal law that the more good you spread, the more good somehow comes back to you.  I think this is as true in business as it is on a personal level.  I always found that the more you focus on helping customers, instead of on making money, the more money tends to show up.

     I think I'll keep on planting seeds . . . 

Gifting Another Book

     When I was on the cruise with my sister at the end of April, we met a very nice couple from the Washington DC area and we spent considerable time with them throughout our trip.  One half of the couple, a man named Mike, had his own construction company building houses and doing high-end custom remodeling.  As we got to know each other, I realized that many of the principles discussed in my book, Fundamentally Different, would be useful for him, so I decided to send him a copy as a gift.

     The problem was that I didn't get his home (or work) address and so I had to rely on his girlfriend to get it to me.  This took some time, but last week, I finally got the address.  This morning, I penned a personal note inside the book and mailed it off to him. 

    I love when I get the opportunity to share my book with someone for whom I know it will resonate and will have a big impact.  I believe that Mike is one of those people.  It's my pleasure to share with him.

My Book As A Gift

     This afternoon my wife told me that she had recently bumped into a craftsman we know who had worked on our house.  He's a great guy, and a true professional in an industry that isn't always known for professionalism.  In fact, he's building a pretty impressive company with a strong culture.  He mentioned to my wife that he's been really wanting to read my book but hasn't gotten around to ordering a copy of it.

     When I see situations like these, where I know someone will truly get significant value from it, I like to send out a signed copy of my book as a personal gift.  Of course, I don't just sign it; I inscribe it with a personal note that I think will be meaningful to the individual.  Today I went ahead and sent one to this man.  I'm confident that he'll not just enjoy it, but will put the book's lessons to good use as well.

A Gift for a Friend

     When I was working out at the gym this morning I saw a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in awhile.  She mentioned to me that she still has to read my book, and then jokingly added that she was waiting for her free copy.  Then she quickly noted that she was only kidding and that she intends to buy a copy.  Since I usually have an ample supply of my books and CDs at my house, I decided I would deliver one to her as a gift today.

     I inscribed a personal note on the inside cover of the book, and when I was out doing some errands this afternoon I swung by her office to drop off the gift.  Though she wasn't in when I stopped by, I was able to leave it with her assistant to deliver.

     While I obviously can't always give free books to everyone, I candidly make so little on book royalties that I'm much more interested in people reading, enjoying, and benefiting from my book than I am interested in the money.  Hopefully she'll enjoy it as much as everyone else has and, like others, want to get copies for others she thinks could benefit from it as well.

Thinking Abundance

     As many people know, last year I published my first book, Fundamentally Different, based on the lessons I learned and taught during my business leadership career.  It represents my best thinking and writing on building a high performance organizational culture . . . but it's much more than that.  It's also a book about living a life based upon a set of governing values.  It's been my pleasure to share the book with so many people and to hear about how much they've enjoyed it and learned from it.

     Today I had the chance to speak with one of the book's recipients and to provide additional insight and advice.  This person actually received my book as a gift from another person.  He was so excited about its applicability to his organization and had already begun to implement some of my ideas.  He was eager to talk with me to learn more.  It was a pleasure to be able to add to his thinking.  He was so appreciative that I would take the time to talk with him, especially when he learned that I was on vacation with my family.  

     I've always been willing to freely share the things that I've learned, without concern for how or if I'll be compensated.  I'm confident that we what give away in our lives somehow always comes back to us.  Generosity has an interesting way of spreading.  I think it's related to having an "abundance" attitude vs. a "scarcity" attitude.  When we approach life from a perspective of scarcity, we hoard things for fear we'll run out.  But when we think from a perspective of abundance, it's easier to give things away because we know there's an unlimited amount of good to be spread.  I choose to think from abundance.