(Time to read this Blog article is about 2 minutes)
OOPS, I goofed! When sending out my regular Wednesday Blog yesterday, I accidently re-sent the Blog from last week. This week’s real Blog about ‘the power of working smart’ appears below.
Stay safe…Donald C.
Way back in February, which seems like a lifetime ago, I was in the oil town of Ft. McMurray, in northern Alberta, doing an ‘Accelerate Your Business’ session. Because the price of oil is in the dump and the cost of living is pretty high in Ft Mac (as it’s called), many of its residents and businesses are struggling. But, many are not…and the difference is the ability to work ‘smart’. The ability to see possibilities when others don’t.
This story is about 2 taxi drivers in Ft. Mac. One who picked me up at the airport when I arrived…and one who took me back to the airport when I departed. They were both originally from Ethiopia and both had come to Ft. Mac to create a better life for their families during the boom times in Ft. Mac about 10 years ago.
Taxi driver #1 drove for a big taxi fleet. He complained all the way into town about how slow business is and how it’s impossible to make a living no matter how many hours he works. He said, “I hate Ft. Mac, but I can’t leave because I’ll take a huge loss on the price of my house.” I arrived at my hotel thoroughly depressed.
Taxi driver #2 sees things and does things differently. Back in Ethiopia, he was in the coffee business. He bought, roasted, ground and sold coffee. So, he had a sales and business background and always looks for opportunities. He’s personable, positive and proactive.
This gentleman owns his own cab, a mini van, and branded it as ‘SMART CAB’. It’s painted in a classy way to look like it’s part of a big fleet. He has a 5-star Google rating, he makes sales calls on all of Ft. McMurray’s hotels and has become their preferred pick-up cab for guests. He has also become the official ‘Crew Taxi’ for the two airlines that fly into the local airport. Because only small, regional planes fly into Ft. Mac, his 7-passenger mini-van can easily accommodate the entire flight crew.
When planning my departure from Ft. Mac, I asked the hotel’s front desk to please order me a cab for 7 am the next morning. The young lady said, “I’ll order you a Smart Cab. They’re great!” And ‘great’ he was. All the way to the airport, he answered my questions about his business model, he shared his outlook on life and the importance of working smart. He uplifted and energized me. His last words as he dropped me off at the airport were, “I love Ft. Mac. You can make a very good living here!” He handed me his card, shook my hand and said, “I look forward to seeing you again!”.
So, there you have it. Two men from the same place, in the same line of work, in the same place, with very different approaches and very different outcomes. We can all learn a few things from two taxi drivers in Ft. McMurray.
That’s it for this week…
Stay calm…live brilliantly…and do at least 3 important or kind things each day!
Donald Cooper
How Donald can help during the Covid mess: Until it’s safe for groups to meet in person, we’re offering remote Business Coaching to business owners and managers around the world who want to improve performance in some or all of these 5 key areas:
- Create compelling customer value and experiences that give them a clear competitive advantage.
- Market and promote more effectively in a crowded and cynical marketplace. There’s no point being the best if you’re also the best kept secret.
- Attract, lead and retain a dedicated and top-performing team. The real battle in business today is the battle for talent.
- Manage smarter and improve long-term profitability…and to,
- Create a clear direction for the future of their business…and a clear Action Plan to get there.
To chat about how I can be helpful, just email me at donald@donaldcooper.com, or phone us at 416-252-3703 in Toronto.
Thanks for another good real-life storey. There are lots of cases of each in the local community now. We would ALL be better off if we followed the example of Taxi driver number 2.
Life continually teaches us Donald. Thank you for sharing. Regards Alex.
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