Fred Isn’t Always in Customer Service

In 2004 I wrote, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary. The 20th Anniversary Edition released June 1. 2004 I wrote, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary. The 20th Anniversary Edition released June 1.

The book is about real life (then) postal carrier, Fred Shea, who was a shining example of turning the ordinary in the extraordinary and the four principles I outlined in the book.

Many have read it and thought of it as a book about customer service, and it large part it is. But while The Fred Factor is always about service, Fred isn’t always in the customer service department.

While Fred was provided extraordinary service to the people on his postal route, other “Freds” who practice the same philosophy aren’t always in the customer service department.



And that is a challenge.

No matter how good the service rep may be, a technician at a job site can undo his or her best efforts. No matter how committed a bank teller may be, bad leadership can demoralize that individual or short-circuit best efforts by implementing bad policies.

Being a Fred isn’t about the job you hold but how you do the job. Freds can be in any department, and in the best organizations they are in every department.

Anyone can be a Fred, if they choose, and I believe everyone should aspire to be a Fred. It is important for their own success, and for the success of their organizations.

Scholastic Inc. has been in business for nearly 100 years. With $2 billion in revenue and more than 9,000 employees in 16 countries, one of their missions is to help keep books alive. Scholastic is clear about their commitment to a child’s best educational interests.

That mission informs and inspires employees throughout the organization.

Then President and CEO, the late Richard Robinson, visited a warehouse. He asked a forklift driver at a distribution center, “What is your job?” He didn’t mention his forklift or distribution. He said, “My job is to help children love to read.”

Great leaders and organizations know that forklifts and distribution centers are means to a greater end if you have the right mission.

Anyone can be a Fred. And the more people in more departments in your organization who are, the more extraordinary your organization will be.

Mark Sanborn is an award winning speaker, leadership strategist and Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University. He also advises executives and professional speakers on how to speak more powerfully. For more information about his work, visit www.marksanborn.com.