On the heels of my last blog post, “Perfection Sucks, and It’s Boring,” here is the quick antidote: Give a Damn.
Yes, perfection is just plain boring, and we seek those tiny imperfections that make you, your company, and your product or service much more human. But we also hunger for you, giving a damn.
The sad reality of our world is that all too many people and their companies don’t. Get a coffee at Starbucks, and 90% of “baristas” just couldn’t give a damn and would rather watch the latest Netflix show than make you your hideously overpriced beverage. Going into a supermarket, most people working there can’t be bothered. Call a customer support hotline; much more likely than not, you want to start screaming at the end of your “interaction.”
And when you get that one barista, person in your local supermarket, or support agent who gives a damn, you realize how different the world can be.
Be that person. Give a damn. It’s shocking how many don’t.