For those of you drawn to this post in the hope of finding something juicy about workplace romance, keep on clicking.  This is about romance of the professional type.  It’s about the powerful impact that someone with passion for his or her job has on the working environment and ultimately on the success of the enterprise.

A passionate employee is like rocket fuel for your organization.  These rare and valuable people build your brand, strengthen client loyalty, stimulate repeat business and energize your workplace just by their daily participation in your business. 

Contrast the positive influence of someone who clearly loves their job with any number of people that we come in contact with in daily life and in business that clearly hate their job and go out of their way to let everyone know it.  Have you had a memorable positive experience lately at any of the following: the airport/the cell phone store/a big box store/on a customer service phone call/at the reception desk of a doctor’s office and so on?  Mostly, those experiences stink.  Unless of course, you are fortunate to run across one of the all too rare people that understand that the world is a better place if you just look at it the right way.

I wrote a post not too long ago about some remarkable customer experiences in my own community.  The businesses and individuals featured in this post are what Craig Stull, Phil Myers and David Meerman Scott describe as Tuned In in their forthcoming book of the same name.  I have a few more positive examples to add to the list.

I jumped in a cab in downtown Chicago on a recent rainy April afternoon, and settled in for a slow crawl through traffic.  From the moment I slid into my seat, I knew this would be a different kind of ride.  Instead of the usual rude or silent or cell-phone preoccupied driver, I was welcomed with a hearty "hello" and a smile as soon as I slid into the seat.  For the balance of the trip, I had the most enjoyable and remarkable discussion with David, who turned out to be a thoughtful and entertaining driver.  We exchanged perspectives on business, the entrepreneurial lifestyle, the current national political situation, global warming and our hopes for the Olympics in Chicago.  At the end of the ride, I gladly tipped at twice the normal rate, thankful for such a great experience in a setting that is usually less than enjoyable.

During the same week as my cab ride, I had the good fortune to meet a tremendous professional responsible for an organization charged with strengthening and supporting our local small business community through education and counseling. I had contacted her because she was someone I wanted to network with in pursuit of my professional endeavors, and she was gracious enough to take the meeting with me.  What I did not anticipate was that I would walk out the door wowed with the organization, its capabilities and this leader’s vision for the future.  I cannot wait to do some work for her organization!

The bottom-line:

Whether you sell coffee, serve deli sandwiches and split pea soup, drive a cab or run a major community organization, you make a choice to create a positive or negative impression for everyone that you serve.  If you’re the one in charge, work hard to find, develop and retain the people that are passionate about their work, eager to serve and committed to leaving a positive impression at every opportunity.  These passionate employees committed to serving are the best marketing investments you will ever make. 

It’s an interesting statement on our culture when simply doing something with enthusiasm, pride and concern for your customer’s experience is a strategic differentiator, but this is our reality.  I for one know the type of people I am going to hire and where I’ll go for coffee, soup, and business support.  Now if I can just time my trips into Chicago when David is in the area, I have some more thoughts to share on global warming.  A few more cab rides and we may solve the problem.