Are You A Duck or An Eagle?

 

Are You A Duck or An Eagle?

 

Harvey Mackay is the author of two previous New York Times #1 bestsellers, “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” and “Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt”. In total, Harvey's books have sold 10 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 37 languages.  He also is one of America's most popular and entertaining business speakers. Toastmasters International named him one of the top five speakers in the world.

 

In 1959, at the age of 26, Harvey purchased a small and failing company that produced envelopes.  Today that company has grown into a $100 million business employing over 600 people. It’s one of the nation's major envelope manufacturers, producing 25 million envelopes a day. As chairman, Harvey's philosophy is engrained in the company, beginning with its motto:

 

“Do what you love, love what you do and deliver more than you promise.”

 

Harvey Mackay tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proves his point.  Allow me to paraphrase the story of Wally the cab driver.

McKay was waiting in line for a ride at the airport.   When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine.   Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.  The driver then handed him a laminated card and said:

'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

That was something totally unexpected from a cab driven, but something that immediately caught the attention of a business strategist like Harvey McKay.

 

Mission Statement:  To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

 

This blew Harvey away. And, as he got into the cab, he noticed that the inside of the cab was as spotlessly clean as the outside.  As he slid behind the wheel, the driver asked, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

Jokingly, McKay said, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'

Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice. Which would you prefer?”

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, the driver continued, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.'  Then the driver handed him another laminated card, explaining,  'These are the stations I get on my satellite radio, in case you'd like to listen to some music. I have the air conditioning on.  Is the temperature comfortable for you?”

 

Still stunned, Harvey muttered, “Yeah, sure, that feels great. Tell me Wally, have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, sir, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last couple of years. My first five years as a cabbie, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the drivers do. Then one day I heard some personal growth guru on the radio.  He said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you will rarely disappoint yourself. He also said, 'Stop complaining!  Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck.  Be an eagle’. I thought that was pretty funny.  But the man on the radio explained that ducks quack and complain.  Eagles soar above the crowd.''

'That hit me right between the eyes,' Wally said.  I realized that I was a duck, always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and their customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

 

 'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year.  This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I had just delivered one of my regular customers to the airport.  I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally the cab driver made a phenomenal discovery, and ended up running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab, doubling, then quadrupling his income.  He decided to stop quacking like a duck and start soaring like an eagle.

How about you?  How could your business profit from the same attitude change that Wally the cab driver made?  What changes would be necessary for you to differentiate yourself from the competition and begin to soar like an eagle?