The Point — Abel, Kim and Jami

“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”

–     Booker T. Washington

Last night at the Target store near the intersection of RR620 and FM2222, just up the road from where our new home is being built, I was wandering around, evidently looking like a 51-year-old man who was moving in to a rental house a month before his wife and kids (or any of his belongings).  The kind of guy who knew he needed a table and chair, a couple pillows, some toilet paper and paper plates — you get the picture.  The kind of guy who’d waited 6 hours for Texas Gas to show up in their five-hour window to turn on the gas in the aforementioned rental house.  I looked tired, irritated, tired and tired, would be my guess.  But that’s not the point.

Enter Abel, Assistant Manager.

“Sir, you look like you could use some help.”  (Duh!)

Four minutes later, I had everything I needed (including three items I needed but didn’t remember that I needed), and Abel was carrying half of it towards my car.  But that’s not the point.

“Hey, Abel,” I said.  “My washer and dryer are still in Wisconsin with my wife and kids.  I can’t find a laundromat anywhere, and I am encountering a shortage of clean skivvies, if ya know what I mean…”

Abel spoke confidently in to his little Target-Assistant-Manager radio doohicky.  “Kim Fox, come in, please.”  In about two seconds, sorta like Captain Kirk out of the transporter, Kim Fox appears.  Abel shared my dilemma with her, mercifully not mentioning my skivs.

“Washatopia,” Kim said.  “It’s close to your office (Abel had shared that location with her).  Best laundromat ever!” she raved.  “You can drop it off and they’ll do it, and they have free wi-fi, oh, and they have dry cleaning…..”  This woman loves her some Washatopia.  But that’s not the point.

This morning, I arrived at Washatopia.  Jami greeted me.

Look, I know I’m spoiled but the last time I used a laundromat, it took about $63 worth of quarters and five weeks to do a load.  The floor felt a lot like the floor of a college bar at 2 AM Sunday (from what I expect a floor like that must feel like — having, of course, not experienced that since, well, the last time I needed a laundromat…).  In less than a minute, and for less than $9, Jami had me loaded in to the state-of-the-art, card-reading, fast-cycle, soft-water washers, had me logged on to the wi-fi and settled in to a comfortable spot to do some work.  By the way, she was helping half-a-dozen “regulars,” at the same time.  This place is spotless and my laundry is going to be done in half the time it would take at home.  Heck, I love me some Washatopia.  But that’s not the point.

Abel, Kim and Jami are the point.

Their jobs don’t require them to bend over backwards.  Their bosses probably don’t train them to bend over backwards.  Their jobs don’t pay them in the 1% range.

Yet, they deliver excellence.  Without being asked.  Without being incentivized to do more than show up, punch the clock and do the minimum.

The point is, Abel, Kim and Jami are examples of servant leadership.  Yep.  Leadership.  In the past twelve hours, I’ve learned a thing or two from a Target store assistant manager, one of his cashiers and a laundromat attendant that will make me a better executive, leader, father and person.  If I’m paying attention.

That’s the point.