Chapter 26
Love Your Passengers
027
As Joy motored down the road she thought about what to say next. She looked away from the road and out to the far right. High above the road was one of those signs that said LOVE IS THE ANSWER.—GOD. She pointed at the sign and directed George and her passengers to look. “Isn’t it amazing,” she said, “how the signs of life always appear at the right time to guide us on our journey? I mean if you are open to the signs and look for them they will always tell you where your bus needs to go and what you need for your ride. And best of all when you use the signs to find the right path and make a decision to follow it, God will move heaven and earth to support you. The right people show up. The right situations fall into place. Obstacles dissolve. Creative ideas appear. It’s how it all works. I don’t make the rules. I just understand and teach them.” Then she looked at George and said, “That sign was meant for you, Sugar, and if you have any doubt throw it out because Danny’s going to show you rule #8.” Danny lifted up the sign, which said this.
Rule #8
Love Your Passengers.
“Don’t ignore the signs, George. Love is the answer for the team’s success,” she said as George was looking a little surprised right now. He had never heard of anyone talking about love and business in the same sentence.
“Enthusiasm is important. But love is the answer. To really, really, and I mean really, tap the power of your heart and lead with positive, contagious energy you must love your passengers. You’ve got to become a Love Magnet,” she said.
At once everyone on the bus cheered in unison, “LOOOOVVVVE Magnet!”
“What the heck is a Love Magnet?” George asked looking around, not sure if he even wanted to know the answer.
“Well, you don’t become a Love Magnet by wearing expensive cologne or perfume,” she said. “You don’t become one by walking around sharing cheesy lines at bars.”
Good, George thought, because he didn’t wear cologne or go to bars.
“You become a Love Magnet by loving your employees, your customers, your company, and your family. You become a Love Magnet by “sharing the love generously.”
Jack stepped in and said, “I know it sounds corny to talk about love in the business world, George, but she’s right. All any of us really want is to be loved, and all your employees really want is your love.” George thought of José and realized they were onto something.
He told them about José and how all he wanted was to be recognized and cared about. George had promised he would do something for José to show him but didn’t know what.
“Love is all he wants, George. You can give all the trophies and awards you want, and sure a raise would be a good idea for him, but eventually the gift is forgotten and the excitement of the raise wears off and what remains is an emotional feeling, a feeling of whether you love them. That’s what it’s all about, George. José and your team want to know that you care about them. They want to know that you are concerned about their future and welfare. They need to know that you love them. It can’t be just about you and your job. It also has to be about them. And when you love them, they’ll love you back. If you treat them like a number or your next promotion or your next bonus, they’ll treat you like a number. But if you really love and care about them they will love you back by working hard for you, by being loyal to you, by surprising you with amazing initiative and success stories, and by teaching you as much as you will teach them. It’s the same with sales, George. The best salespeople are Love Magnets. When customers know you love them instead of just seeing them as a new car or boat, they’ll never leave you. When they feel the love they will send you more business and refer more people to you. People do business with people they like and who love them. The more love you put out the more that comes back to you. And when your team knows you love them and feel the love from you they will want to stay on your bus wherever it goes. So enthusiasm gets them excited about being on your bus, but love is what keeps them on the bus.”
“This all sounds wonderful,” George said skeptically. “It really does. But talking about love and business is one thing and practicing it is another. Let’s face it, the last time I checked, giving hugs at work is not too popular with Human Resources. Love in theory is wonderful but how do you practice it at work is my question. And how do you also get past all the people who think love is weak and for wimps?”
“Great point,” Jack said. “It’s not easy. No one said love was, especially in business. But with commitment and practice there is no better way to enhance the performance and productivity of your team. Regarding love being for the weak, well, they just don’t understand the research. Tell them, Marty.”
Marty explained how a human being is stronger when they are thinking positive, loving thoughts than when they are thinking negative, angry thoughts. “People think love is a weak emotion,” he said, “but really it’s the strongest most powerful emotion available to us. Just try to bench press a lot of weight. If you are thinking loving, positive thoughts you’ll be stronger than if you are thinking negative, angry thoughts.”
“The good news,” Jack continued, “is we have the perfect resource to put love into action. We spent a lot of time and energy on this and came up with five ways to love your passengers, and these ways are the best practices I have implemented in my company, with amazing results,” Jack said as he handed George a sheet of paper featuring the five strategies.
George scanned the sheet of paper but quickly looked out the window and noticed they were about to arrive at his office. “Well, we obviously don’t have time to go over these but is there any one of these strategies I should start immediately?” George asked, wanting to do all he could as soon as he could.
“Well, more than anything, George, love takes time,” Joy said. “It’s a process not a goal. Love is something that needs to be nurtured. But if there is one thing I urge you to start immediately it’s focus on bringing out the best in each person on your team. When you love someone you want the best for them. You want them to shine. And the best way to do this is to help them discover the value inside them.”
“Like the roooooooock,” George said slowly nodding his head.
“Yes, like the rock, George. I was waiting for you to ask me about the rock. You still have it?” she asked.
“Yes, I do. Right here,” George said as he held it up to show her.
“Good because if you lost it I would have to put a hurt’n on you,” she said, laughing out loud.
Joy then took a towel, poured water onto it, and handed it to George. “Now, take this wet towel here and wipe the rock, George. Wipe it good.” George scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed and to his surprise the black came off the rock and what was left was nothing but shiny gold.
“Is this what I think it is?” he asked.
“You bet it is, my brother,” Joy answered as she jokingly grabbed the rock out of George’s hand. “That’s why you’re one lucky man that you didn’t lose it.” George closed his eyes and laughed.
“You see, George, dust on gold doesn’t change the nature of gold. It’s still gold. And your team members just like you have a lot of dust on them. The key is to realize that inside every one of them is gold that wants to shine. The value is on the inside. Help them find their gold, George, as I have helped you. Remove their dust. Help them discover their strengths. Allow them to do what they do best. Let them utilize their strengths on a daily basis and know that as they utilize their strengths, their value and the value of the team will increase tenfold. That’s love. Letting people share their gifts and strengths is real love. And by you loving them and by you helping them find their gold they will shine and so will you. That’s what being a Chief Energy Officer is all about; when you bring out the best in others you can’t help bringing out the best in yourself.”
At that moment Joy stopped talking, Jack stopped talking, and the bus was completely silent. All the passengers knew what this meant. George was ready.
Joy had a proud look on her face. They had shared with George what he needed to know and she felt he was ready to make some amazing progress the next two days before his big presentation. But she also knew that this was about much more than just a product launch. Sure, she wanted him to enjoy success but she also knew that whether his product launch was successful was really irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. He wouldn’t see it that way, of course, so if the launch was a disaster she would prepare to explain once again that everything happens for a reason and no matter what he did or where he went from this point on he was now equipped with the rules to create an incredible life and career at the NRG Company or somewhere else. He had the rules and with rules came incredible power. His big meeting this Friday would be just one leg of a long journey and to truly enjoy the ride of his life he would need to know the final two rules. Without them, he would be missing out on the ultimate fuel for a meaningful and powerful life. No time for that today, Joy thought, as they pulled up to George’s office building. Tomorrow we’ll get into that.
As George walked off the bus, Joy shouted, “Give it all you got today, George! Remember enthusiasm, love, and gold. And don’t forget to love that wife of yours. She needs it, too. Share all the love you got and tomorrow we’ll be here to recharge you!”
George put his hand over his heart and then over his mouth and blew a kiss to Joy and the Energy Bus passengers. They didn’t know it but he was more thankful than any of them could possibly realize. As he turned his back and walked away from the bus, ready to share the love and energy, Joy turned to Jack and he looked at her.
“He’s ready,”she said.
“I agree,” confirmed Jack.
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