CREATE YOUR LUCK
It wasn’t the first time she was attending to me; I’ve
experienced her quality of customer service several times – warm, friendly,
comical and hardworking. Every customer likes her; they all want her to attend
to them, she appears to love what she does and she does it with passion and
diligence.
Chika works with one of the many top notch restaurants on the
island in Lagos. She was a waitress; taking orders from customers and serving
their meals. In spite of the pressure that comes with such responsibilities
many times, Chika would always remain cool and calm with a smile on her face,
taking in the pressure and addressing complaints from different customers.
I’ve always been impressed by her attitude to work – the way
she would apologize to both young and old even fellow ladies her age or even
younger. No nasty attitude no airs, just doing her job and doing it well.
That evening I needed a quick meal, I hadn’t eaten all day
and I was really hungry, I was there a bit late and most of the restaurants
were shutting down, most meals were sold out and nothing really much was left.
I was lucky to meet Chika who was already preparing to go home too, I asked her
to please get me something to eat and with a smile she went into the kitchen to
see how she could sort me out. In about 5 minutes she was back with a hot meal,
still smiling, she placed it on the table with a cold bottle of water. I could
see she was really tired from all the hard-work from day-break but all the same
she was willing to wait on me till I was done. I was impressed.
We began to chat as I had my meal and she told me this much.
Chika is a graduate of Economics from one of the leading, first generation
Universities in Nigeria. She graduated with a 2.1 about 2 years ago and upon
completion of her service year, she resolved not to just sit at home for her
dream job.
While applying for employment in various preferred
organizations, she took up this job as a waitress at one of the restaurants in
Lagos.
According to her, she couldn’t just sit at home, eating
drinking and sleeping without doing anything; she couldn’t afford to be idle;
she’s not wired like that. When she began to work at the restaurant her parents
were not happy with her, they felt it was embarrassing, given their status and
the fact that they could well cater for her needs until a good job came along,
but she ignored and pleaded they should allow her get busy pending that
employment she really deserved and they eventually succumbed.
Her close friends didn’t make it easy for her as well, they
criticized her and mocked her wondering why as a graduate of Economics with a
second class upper would opt to be a waitress in such a public place, where
everyone would see her and treat her anyhow, besides her parents are well to do
so why yield to unnecessary ridicule? She concluded her story still with a
smile on her face.
I was surprised, I was impressed, I looked at this beautiful,
young girl talk, not believing my ears. What I’m used to are people of her peer
and age bracket criticizing the government, their parents, an uncle or relative
who refused to help them get a job. They’ll rather sit at home, watch TV,
lounge, and make excuses for their unemployment going from place to place
collecting by the way for months and even years. They have a defective belief
that they have paid their dues just by becoming graduates and it’s time to
‘enjoy’ hmmm.
I asked for her details and requested she sent her CV to my
mailbox and promised I’ll assist her with a better employment.
She called me last week and was excited to tell me she’s
gotten her letter of employment from one of the leading telecoms companies
where I recommended her. She was very happy, excited and very grateful.
Her monthly pay package is much more than what she’s ever
dreamt of as a starter, and today she’s proud to flaunt her ID card as a staff
of one of the biggest and most successful telecoms company in the world. She
made it.
Would you call Chika lucky, nope, it’s not luck, it’s not
even connection as it were. Chika earned this employment by creating her own
luck? Locating her-self where it mattered and working in a manner that would
attract favour and assistance.
I didn’t know Chika from Adam, we are not related, not even
the same state or tribe. I don’t know her family, background or history. In
fact she’s a total stranger to me. But I couldn’t help but recommend her on the
account of her attitude to work, customer service and mind-set. I need not know
such a person to assist with anything.
If she was at home, watching TV, sleeping and generally
relaxing she would never have met me. If she had pride and felt it was
belittling to work as a waitress in such a public place she wouldn’t have met
me.
If she had poor attitude to work, grumpy, irritable and nasty
to customers she wouldn’t have caught my attention. If that fateful evening she
had insisted she had closed and decided to go without going the extra mile to
get me something to eat we would never have conversed and I wouldn’t have
recommended her. She didn’t even know who I was and she didn’t go the extra
mile ‘cos she wanted my help, it was just her way of doing things to and with
every customer.
Chika created her luck. She has a good job today and an
exciting career in an industry she loves and she’s very well paid. Today her
friends and family members are proud of her and want to associate with her.
She’s no longer an embarrassment to them. All those so called friends can’t
stop calling her and asking her to help them submit their CVs in her new
organization. Hmmm, life is like that.
My dear friend I challenge you this morning to create your
own luck, stop waiting for your breakthrough, break it through by yourself;
make it happen! Deal with pride and arrogance and unnecessary air of
superiority.
Rise above the opinions of men and stop thinking more highly
of yourself than you ought to. Stop watching TV and sleeping all day long, get
up and go out; get something to do. I can’t understand how a none-income earner
would say a particular amount is too small. There is more to gain from being
employed than cash reward. Create your own luck.
And if you’re working in a place where you’re constantly
under pressure and you’re not particularly happy, the worst harm you can do to
yourself is to take it out on your clients and customers. If you’re grumpy,
rude, unfriendly and nasty, you could as well be pushing away your favour,
helper and good luck.
Being lucky is not an act of nature, dear friend, create your
own luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment