FRED Friday…meet Jennifer Le

I found another Fred, and I didn’t have to look very far.  Jennifer Le is a nail technician at the Sahra Spa at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

A few months ago I suggested The Fred Factor to a coworker…she is a manager at our spa.  Maria not only purchased the book that day, but she finished it that night…and quickly passed it along to some of her staff as well as one of our executives.  If you “know”, you “know”…reading this book makes you want to immediately pass it along.  Maria told me I had to meet a “Fred” on her team at the spa, Jennifer Le.  Recently Maria shared a Guest letter and some stories about Jennifer, simply being Jennifer…going OneMoreStep and making good old-fashioned magic for people.

Meet Jennifer…

Jennifer is married and has three children at home…a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and a 1 year old.  However, when the team needs her to come in early or stay late, they can count on Jennifer to be there for them.  Her manager, Maria, tells me that Guests absolutely adore her because she puts 110% into every single nail service, conversation, and interaction…both technically and emotionally.  While I’ve never had a manicure…ever…I’m told it’s quite a laborious process, taking up to an hour and a half every two weeks, if kept up the way one’s nails should be kept.  (Jennifer tells me I “definitely need it.”)  Jennifer goes OneMoreStep on a regular basis to make sure that each and every Guest’s expectations are not only met, but also exceeded.  While she works, she engages each Guest…on a personal level, and we have several Guest letters and emails to prove that people love her for it. 

Maria told me, “Jennifer is a selfless person and genuinely cares about each person with which she interacts.”

One Guest wrote in to share her thoughts, which included the following verbatim comments:

Jennifer also works on private clients on her days off from our spa at The Cosmopolitan.  One of Jennifer’s coworkers’ house caught on fire a couple of weeks ago.  Nobody was hurt, but his family did lose many of their belongings.  Jennifer happened to be working with private clients after working a full day at our spa that day, and she made an extra $100.  Jennifer gave her coworker the money to help with his loss. 

When Maria asked her about it, Jennifer said, “I can’t replace his memories or his room but at least I was able to help with relieving a little stress financially…and that made me feel good…even though it wasn’t that much, I felt like it made him smile.”

I met Jennifer Le for the first time today.  I sat with her for about 15 minutes as she worked on a coworker’s nails…for free…just because.  In the short time that we chatted, I found myself answering several questions…she asked me why I write this blog, how to go OneMoreStep even for people that don’t appreciate it, what keeps me going, etc.  Sure I asked my share of questions…where she was originally from, how long she had been a nail technician, etc. However, as I walked away from my conversation with her, I realized…she was genuinely interested in me, rather than trying to come across as interesting herself.  That is Relationship Building 101.  She focuses on making relationships rather than completing transactions.  Epitomizing all that is Fred.

Before I left, I asked her why she puts so much into her work, and why she loves it so much.  She said, “…because I get to talk to people all day long, and I love to see them smile when they leave me…I also love the thought of them looking at their nails days after their service and maybe smiling again…”

I was having a tough “corporate America” week…until I met Jennifer Le today.  It’s not projects, initiatives, and financial results that make the true impact that matters.  Going OneMoreStep after OneMoreStep…serving people, caring for people, and making magic for people makes the impact that matters.  If we focus on the latter, financial results will happen for us anyway.  The difference – we’ll touch people’s lives in the process.

I can’t wait to get to work tomorrow so I can approach my job like Jennifer Le approaches hers.  Gonna make people smile…

“The best Freds are true artists at taking ordinary products or job responsibilities and services and making them extraordinary.  They are real-world alchemists who practice the art and science of ‘value creation’.  Freds create extra value by doing more than is necessary and exceeding our expectations – most of the time for no extra pay.”  – Mark Sanborn…The Fred Factor…page 51

Have a great day.

Taylor

PS:  Wondering what FRED Friday is all about?  See the first FRED Friday post here…http://goonemorestep.blogspot.com/2011/03/fred-friday.html