“What’s the ‘Best’ that Could Happen?”

“What’s the ‘Best’ that Could Happen?”

Erik Fisaga
Contributing Writer
Success Academy

A wonderful thing happened today! I missed my train.

Whether it was Providence, fate, or dumb luck, I failed to make connections with the taxi scheduled to take me to the station so I could take the morning Amtrak to my home. Feeling physically tired from recent business travel, and a little sorry for myself at missing my travel connection, I still had the presence of mind to quickly reschedule my trip for the afternoon Amtrak. That way I could catch up on work, still make it home at a decent hour, and be able to spend more quality time with my family.

The cold temperatures experienced the past couple months had finally subsided, and the temperature outside was quite nice. I decided some fresh air to clear my head would do me good, so I walked to a local diner a few blocks away for breakfast. The White Knight Diner looked like those featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” It’s an out-of-the-way joint, not much bigger than a food-truck, located a block away from the St. Louis City Police Station. I had driven by it several times, and kept promising to stop in there one day because of how interesting it looked. Well, today was the day.

The place was crowded when I walked in, with almost every table occupied and a few people standing around waiting on their to-go orders. Upon entering, one of the servers said, “It’ll be about a 30 minutes until your food is ready honey, do you have time to wait?” I said yes, and she replied, “You can sit anywhere that’s open baby.”

After giving my order, I began reviewing my calendar, and creating my task/project list for the day and week. I took in the atmosphere around me as I sat there, and felt the most wonderful and refreshing vibe. The cooks and servers were hustling all about, taking care of customers, calling some by name, mostly using terms of endearment and fulfilling their dining needs. It didn’t take long before my spirits lifted and I began feeling better.

As I went to the counter to pay my bill, I noticed a sign hanging above the grill that read “What’s the ‘Best’ that could happen?” It all suddenly made sense. No matter how busy you are, or bad you feel, with a focus on the positive, the world around you becomes a better place because that positive outlook becomes contagious.

Here are just a few examples of “What’s the ‘Best’ that could happen?”

  1. While taking a morning walk, a random jogger says good morning as he passes by on the street.
  2. Your breakfast server calls you “honey,” “baby,” or “darlin’.”
  3. You strike up a conversation with folks from out of town about college basketball, and relish in the pride they have about their school and the integrity of their coach.
  4. You find yourself in a unique position to assist some total strangers lost in the big city, or suddenly in an emergency or difficult situation.
  5. You stop feeling sorry for yourself, and remember “failure is not fatal.”
  6. You are reminded of how blessed you are to meet and work with awesome-minded people all over North America.
  7. You randomly receive a note or two of thanks for your efforts to educate and train them on skills to improve their work performance, and their appreciation for inspiring them to make their professional and personal lives better.

There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of leaders, authors and philosophers who have written books, and have been quoted about the success of an individual being directly related to that person’s attitude and whether it’s positive or negative. Replacing one of those words in context of what a person normally thinks: “What’s the ‘Worst’ that can happen?” puts our mind in the wrong place, and therefore tends to produce the wrong results.

Rhonda Byrne is quoted as saying, “you become what you think about most.” One of Brian Tracy’s leadership lessons says, “whatever you dwell upon grows and expands in your experience and personality.” Henry Ford summed it up this way, “whether you think you can, or you can’t; you’re right!”

In every Success Academy training course, we teach technicians, call-takers, managers, and owners that “Attitude is a Choice,” and how much that choice impacts their performance and income. Well, so are the questions we ask.

“What’s the ‘Best’ that could happen?” I don’t know where the diner acquired that sign, but I encourage you to make one or more to post at your location as a reminder to always be asking the RIGHT questions daily. The answers just might surprise you!

Erik Fisaga is a seasoned trainer with 9 years of experience, specializing in customer service and sales training.  He has extensive business experience and in his previous position, he proposed, developed, created a company wide sales training program that resulted in a $3 million increase in sales revenue versus an established goal of $500,000.  Erik was a part of the initial class of a First-in-Class customer service program, in which he was responsible for training 70{938cd9e8dae860e800efc538277d4f7684e6f6981618ba70d1c34357a53c2e1f} of his organization.  This training resulted in a 26{938cd9e8dae860e800efc538277d4f7684e6f6981618ba70d1c34357a53c2e1f} increase in Net Promoter Score in just the first two months. Success Academy, supporting the home services brands of Direct Energy