Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

For many people, the phrase “More Than Teeth” does not immediately bring much to mind. This could be due to an intense fear that represses all memories associated with your dentist, but most likely it is because you have not had the pleasure of meeting my dentist. Various members of my family have been practicing dentistry for over 50 years, and that phrase is one of my father’s favorite ways to describe his vision for service.

I rushed into the breakroom between meetings to grab a quick cup of coffee, but much to my disappointment the carafe was totally empty. I took a quick glance at the Keurig sitting on the counter and contemplated making a single cup, but the thought was fleeting. I knew that in a matter of minutes someone else would do the same thing I was doing—stop by the breakroom in between commitments to refuel their tank and refresh their cup. No, I’d pass on the quick fix, and I’d wait the five minutes it would take to make a fresh pot. In the process, I’d help someone else avoid this small pause in their day.

When I think back to my first time serving as a performance advisor (PA), when it was actually called being a mentor, I always think about what a huge responsibility I was handed. I vividly remember thinking, “Really, my partners are entrusting me to help grow our future leaders? But I'm still growing myself!” I didn’t know how they thought I was going to make an impact on helping others grow when I wasn’t there myself. 

My first job in the corporate world was serving in an administrative capacity on a team with about 150 people. I was certain that I was at the bottom of the ladder, but figured there was lots of room to stretch and grow. Had you read over my job description, like many similar job descriptions in most organizations these days, chances are you would see the following under the list of responsibilities: “Perform other duties that may be required.”

A few days ago, I had a crazy-wonderful, unexpected client service experience. Feeling inspired by our executive partner’s blog last week, The Desire to Serve: Are You Delivering an Unrivaled Experience?, I felt compelled to share it with you.