Great service is hard because we misunderstand it.

The meaning of “service” most of us use today is outdated. 

Maybe the experiences we had, the culture we live in, and the people we’ve met so far did not help us evolve together with the concept.

“[…] The whole domain suffers from weak clichés, poor distinctions, and inaccurate common sense. “The customer is always right” is often wrong. “Go the extra mile” is bad advice when the client wants precise fulfillment of exactly what was promised. “Serve others the way you would like to be served” is well-intentioned but misguided. Good service is not about what you like; it’s about what someone else prefers.” (from the book “Uplifting Service - The Proven Path to Delighting Your Customers, Colleagues, and Everyone Else You Meet”, by Ron Kaufman)

If we continue to associate service with its etymology (the Latin word "servitium” - "servus," meaning "slave" or "servant"), we will never be able to acquire a healthy mentality of serving others. 

Maybe because we all want to have fancy titles and be leaders and creators, not servants and subordinates?

This old mentality acts as a barrier when it comes to:

✔ building work relationships based on mutual service – because “I serve customers, not colleagues” said a participant in one of my training sessions.

✔ creating a culture of great service in a company – because leaders need to learn how to better serve the employees first so they can delight the customers (second).

✔ attracting and retaining employees in the service industry – because it starts with treating the service employees with the respect they deserve (salary, work conditions, etc.), which is still a hot debate topic.

✔ being inspired to choose a career in this field – because: Why choose a career of always being someone’s servant? (Flash news, we are always serving someone, regardless of the industry we work in, but in this particular field we get to excel at it and make it wow!)

The modern understanding of SERVICE is a major perspective shifter! 

Serving means taking action to create an experience, ease someone’s work, or help someone learn, explore, evolve, and heal. 

Whoever this SOMEONE may be: your boss, your customer, your colleague, your child, your partner, or your neighbor.

“Service is taking action to create value for someone else.” (from the book “Uplifting Service - The Proven Path to Delighting Your Customers, Colleagues, and Everyone Else You Meet”, by Ron Kaufman).

❓ What is your modern interpretation of Service?

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