A lesson learnt from a cab driver

It was a hot Sunday afternoon in Singapore and I managed to ‘Grab’ a taxi through the phone app. Soon a taxi pulled up , I got in and the ride to my hotel started.

Beyond the perfect skyline and the vibrant city center there’s much more that Singapore has to offer. I am truly fascinated by its lush greenery . Nearly half of Singapore’s land area is under green cover. Singapore enjoys better air quality than many cities in Asia and its comparable with that of cities in EU and the US.

My cab driver , Mr. Luke was a curious and chatty guy. He was keen to know more about me. “Which city are you from , Sir” , was his first question. When I said Mumbai he exclaimed “you are from the city of dreams”. He knew a fair bit about Mumbai and I was quite impressed.

During our conversation an interesting prop in the cab caught my attention -a big jar of skittles (candies) kept on the armrest console. I kept waiting for it to come up in our conversation. Finally, after some more discussions on Bollywood and Indian culture the metaphorical ‘elephant in the room’ got addressed. He offered me some skittles and an interesting dialogue ensued .

Luke : Sir , try some skittles.

Me : Why do you carry these in your cab ?

Luke : Today is Sunday , the best day of the week. I want to make sure everyone has a memorable cab ride today. So I offer these to all my customers and they seem to enjoy it .I even carry some additional chocolates for well-behaved kids and it brings an instant smile to their faces.

 As I ended the ride and paid in cash, I too received a mini Toblerone as a gesture of good will. “ You have been a great customer”,said the man. I was pleased that I managed to pass the well-behaved kids test.

I mused over this ride and realized that I had received a great lesson in enhancing customer experience. That too from a man who perhaps never went to any business school. He walked the extra mile despite the fact that there was no additional monetary gain for him.

What made the difference then? The answer I believe lies in the seven-lettered magical word - PURPOSE ! A strong purpose overpowers the need for external rewards. We do extraordinary things because the act itself makes us feel good about what we are doing . From Luke’s perspective, his job was not that of driving a cab but the one that offered opportunity to provide memorable and comfortable experience to all his customers.

So how do we find purpose at work ? Here’s a simple hack – Re-frame your job as a mission to make a difference in the lives of others.  Here are some examples –

I manufacture surgical bandages Vs I help save lives

I sell cosmetics Vs I help people enhance their self-esteem

This shift in perspective can make sticky challenges at work seem less daunting . At the very least it can serve as an effective antidote to Monday blues !