The Date:September 2,
2009, 11:35 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
The Place:Enterprise Car Rental Desk, DenverInternationalAirport
The Human
Form:Female; early
30's; brunette
Dear
Girlfriends,
As I stood
at the car rental counter, digging in my briefcase, I told the agent, "Let me
find my confirmation number for you." For several minutes, he searched for our
reservation and I could tell something was amiss. The car rental area was
packed with vacationers who, like Steve and me, had arrived to spend the Labor
Day weekend amidst a backdrop of aspen trees and the Rocky
Mountains. But first, we needed a car to get us out of the
airport!
While I
fumbled with my folder, a lovely young brunette floated up to the agent and
stood with him as he searched for my name in the reservation system. She
flashed a smile of confidence as she took my confirmation from me and then, looking
into my eyes, something like pity flashed across her face. "This is Enterprise," she said; "your
reservation is at National."
Oh.
Of course.
I travel monthly and always, my car reservation is with National. But in the
excitement of "vacation mode," I hopped with Steve onto the GREEN Enterprise
bus rather than the GREEN National bus to take us to the offsite car rental
area. What a goof ball.
I
apologized for the mistake, then with Steve exited the building. Standing on
the sidewalk, we assessed our options, neither of which were pretty; option A:
Get back on the Enterprise
bus, travel back to the airport, and wait for a National bus, or option B: Walk
with our luggage down the road (no sidewalks, mind you) to the National car
terminal. As we walked toward the bus, my angel appeared at my side. "Mrs.
Miller, Mr. Miller! May I take you over to National?" I stared at her, thinking
to myself, "Are you kidding me?"
The heavenly
being popped the trunk on a car parked in front of us and opened the back doors
of the sedan, waiting for us to take our seats. As she slid in behind the
wheel, Steve and I stared at each other in shock. All the way to the National
station, she chatted with us on a host of topics and insisted, all the while,
that this wasn't a big deal. But it was.
I watched
her serve us - people who weren't even
her customers - and I was in awe. In awe of her servant's heart; in awe of
her grace at such a young age; and in awe that she would desire to go to such an extreme to help us. As someone who is
disappointed daily by the lack of customer service extended me by those
companies I patron and as a leader of a company, a company with many clients, I
soaked up her spirit of customer kindness.
. . . but the one who
is the greatest among you must become like the youngest,
and the leader like
the servant. Luke
22: 26
Trina, my
enterprising angel, reminded me that we can all go a lot further for those we
serve - our peers, our team members, our family, our customers - and for this
leader, I was reminded to go the distance for those who expect it least.
