I once heard a story about a young PGA professional named Jordon Spieth. After winning several tournaments and a major championship at a very young age the media had picked up on his humility. Mr. Spieth came from a very close family and spent extra time with his special needs sister. He was educated in a religious school and was the proud brother of a very gifted basketball player. A reporter asked, “What makes you so humble?” Spieth replied and I’m paraphrasing, “If I told you that I wouldn’t be so humble, now would I?”
This story made me reflect on my own acts of service and character outside of my job. Yes, I volunteered and participated in many service opportunities but was I really humble? Did I approach service and gifting adequately? I reflected on the praise others gave for my contributions and realized that I enjoyed the favorable feedback. Many of my service activities were a direct result of raising two sons. I did all things fathers do and thought I was being of service. Looking back, I realized the very acts and contributions were actually selfish and provided a means to the end result of raising boys. Too many times I pounded my chest openly about my stewardship.
This led me to research service on an altruistic plane. The definition of altruistic is having or showing an unselfish concern for the welfare of others. I started simply in my personal and spiritual life. I practiced the exact opposite of my nature. If I was walking down the street and saw a cigarette butt, I forced myself to pick it up and throw it away. If I took wet clothes out of the dryer so dirty clothes could go in the washer, I folded someone’s clothes anonymously. In summary, I began to practice the old adage, “Do something nice for someone every day and don’t tell anyone about it.” I could go on but as Jordon said, “If I told you that, I wouldn’t be so humble, now would I?”
My point is that I began to think about altruistic service in the business world. I knew it happened from time to time because I remembered an incident in my own profession. While serving as an Executive in a sales organization, I took it on myself to bridge the gap between large customers and our financial team. Being in the construction distribution business, there was always large amounts of money that floated between suppliers, distributors, sub-contractors, general contractors, and owners. My incentive was the initial sale, however subsequent sales couldn’t happen until accounts were current. I found it necessary to schedule appointments with large established sub-contractors to professionally ask for payment and communicate feedback to the financial team. This was very intimidating to me and I found myself fearful and full of resentment that these large bills went for months unpaid. While sitting in my car before one such appointment, I prayed for a little guidance. At once, I was struck that I don’t owe this money and how did the other person feel? If my stomach is in knots, I’ll bet the person who is trying to scratch out a living for himself, his family, and his employees is feeling worse. Established businesses don’t dodge their obligations and if a bill is unpaid, there is always a good reason. This altruistic concern for others rather than my own selfish and self-seeking behavior led to much success with customers and business.
For this reason, I started ALTru Solutions. Our primary service is structured cabling design and certification; however, we consult, advise, and train clients on a variety of business topics. It’s critical to stay relevant and evolve in today’s business climate. We solve problems. When we approach our service to you unselfishly with a genuine concern for the well-being of your business, great things happen. We promise fair work for a fair price.
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