SERVING OTHERS

- SERVING OTHERS BY DOING THE SMALL THINGS -

In addition to selling equipment and parts, and repairing that equipment, Great Plains Kubota wants to make a difference in the lives of the customers and the employees. That difference is more than the business itself, it’s how we live our lives. When our lives are better, we can in turn make a difference in the lives of others. The goal at Great Plains Kubota is to strive to be better people, better spouses, better friends, better parents, better family members and better co-workers. We will never be perfect, but we can all be better and we can grow as individuals. No matter where we are in our lives, young or old, we can still learn and grow. Great Plains Kubota is striving to be the brand that serves. What does that mean? When we serve others we look outside ourselves, beyond our own problems and seek to bring value to others. You do it primarily for the benefit and goodwill of another person or group of people. This could be anyone; it could the Great Plains customer or it could be Great Plains employees, vendors, or your neighbors or people you help along the road because they have run out of gas. So to help us build on this process, we want to focus on the small things. These areas are some of the ways to serve and more importantly, challenge ourselves to focus on what it does mean to serve. Smile--This is a great habit to start each day with and to practice whenever you have the chance. The great thing is that smiling at others is easy and takes nothing but a little effort. Nearly everyone responds to a smile and it makes you and the other person feel better immediately. Compliment someone--Serving others has to be about them. Compliments are a great way for you to focus something positive on them and brighten their day. Find something you can be genuine about and give them the compliment with a smile and positive approach. Listen intently in conversation--Conversations and communication can be difficult at times and in order to make it work and to serve others in communication is to truly listen and to listen intently. Others will feel value that you took the time to listen and they were actually paid full attention and that you cared enough to hear them out. Be genuine with your apologies--Put some sincerity into your apologies and be genuine when you do make a mistake. Own up to it and make the appropriate apology in person and in a serious tone. Encourage people--We have endless opportunities to encourage people to do what they love, to follow their dreams, and achieve their goals. Encourage positive behavior and fun actions through your day. You will enjoy it more and you will help others recognize those same things and hopefully, keep more of those actions coming as a result in the future. Stay calm and don’t react in arguments--Arguments are a sure way to cause problems and staying calm may not be the easier thing to do (especially if you are under attack), but it is the best way to serve others both in the argument and seeing it indirectly. If you can stay calm and not make the situation any worse, then you do everyone a service including yourself from not reacting negatively. Avoid and guard against gossip--Gossip can be disastrous to friendships, careers and other people’s lives. Learning to avoid gossip and guard against it both for yourself and for others is a valuable service to engage in. Use the words “Thank you.”--Why is “Thank you!” So hard to say? Compliments can be hard to come by sometimes and I believe it’s because we are so good at wrecking a good compliment with a poor response. Sometimes we argue back and say things like, “No I didn’t” or “Nah, you’re just saying that”. People have been taught that is how to be humble but they are sadly mistaken. Responding in this way sends the message that they are wrong and so the compliment is rejected. It’s a terrible thing to do and unconsciously stops people from sharing compliments. There is one good response for a compliment: two simple words, “Thank You”. There are many ways to serve and these are just a few small things to try out. Serving is a life style that can be learned through practice and it is something that we can all do. And maybe in the process you can change someone else’s outlook on life. “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:28

By Steve Swigert