Do You Go The Extra Mile?

The saying of “going the extra mile” goes back to the early Roman days.

As I understand it, the law of the day in Roman times was that when a Roman citizen saw a Roman soldier it was their duty and obligation to carry their pack for one Roman mile down the road.

The saying became legendary as a result of  a Roman soldier conscripting a Jewish native to carry his equipment for one Roman mile = 1,000 paces, about 1,611 yards or 1,473 meters. This is no easy task considering a Roman soldier’s backpack could weigh upwards of 100 pounds.

After the Roman citizen carried the soldier’s pack for one Roman mile, he continued walking.

The soldier said, “You have gone your mile, I am ready for my pack.”

Famously, the citizen said, “The first mile was for the state, the next mile is for you.”

Doing more for your customers is awesome, however it requires people who desire to give more because they want to, not because they have to!

Think about it.

The citizen had to carry the pack for one mile. He met his obligation, but he wanted to give more.

Not because he was being asked to.

Not because he was being supervised.

Not because he was being compensated.

He did so because he wanted to.

I believe the only way to go the extra mile for your customers is to first go the extra mile for your employees.

It is pretty logical.

The only way your talent and your team is going to go the extra mile, what I define as doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time, for the right reason, even when no one is watching, is if first you develop your team with skills that enable them to excel.

Then your only job as a leader is to remove anything that gets in the way of their excellence.

When you do those two things your team will go the extra mile.

It is those experiences and those interactions which will keep your customers loyal and bring you new customers as a result of this loyalty.

That is as good as a cherry on top of your sundae!

Click here to view the graphic below:

EXTRAMILE


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