Last week, I visited a small town north of the city. A local resident indicated that a special event was taking place in the town park, a small fair with craft booths, vendors, music, etc. On stage was a musical group playing a variety of songs. Upon finishing a song prematurely, the lead singer addressed the crowd. He said:
“I don’t remember all the words, well, we’re not getting paid”
Yikes!
The lead singer’s attitude translated to “Pay us and we’ll do the job adequately, but since we’re not getting paid, we have the right to under-perform.” – Small thinking at its best.
This is the antithesis of a Success and Service attitude. The keyword here is “Attitude”, possibly the most important word in the English dictionary. An attitude of Service means aiming high, caring for those we serve and taking pride in our work… regardless of compensation. How much one is getting paid shouldn’t determine the quality of the work or service rendered.
In my opinion, someone who possesses a genuine attitude of Service, possesses a “Service Mind” which extends well past the boundaries of paid work. The attitude permeates his/her everyday life. Again, it’s about embodying high standards, caring and giving.
Thanks Mr. Band Leader for conspicuously reminding us what not to do,
Some so-called professionals have a cringe-worthy sense of humour. Mr. Band Leader is one of them. I hope he realized his mistake and apologized to the organizers. Thanks for the article.
Thanks for your comment Joanne. I’m with you, if it was meant to be humorous it was a very bad choice and self-sabotaging.
You bring up a good point about the organizers. I was looking at the audience being the customer but indeed, the organizers are also the customer. The band serves them, as well and Mr. Band Leader’s comment certainly doesn’t reflect respect toward them.
Thanks for shining the light in that corner 🙂
Hi Gilles, I couldn’t believe what I was reading!
As a business owner, I do a lot of “work for free” and I wouldn’t even consider letting the people who visit my booth know this.
I even pay my employees during the free services
Even tho it may have been said in humor, it was said in poor taste and ideally made the crowd feel uncomfortable
Hi Wanda,
Yes, definitely not business-like. The sad thing is I’m not certain it was said with humour in mind. In any event, very unprofessional and even embarrassing for him and his band.