I grew up working in a family-owned retail business, an 11,000 square foot variety/drugstore. My first job was sweeping the cigarette butts from the red and white checkerboard floors at the tender age of ten for just 25 cents an hour. I soon graduated to running the cash register, doing the bookkeeping and eventually ended up in management.

Creating lasting relationships with all of our regular customers came easily to me and I soon knew most of them by name. My father’s approach was that “our customers come first…and second and third.” Our independent store was perhaps one of the last bastions where individuality was still revered and truly personal service was freely dispensed with a spirit of generosity.

I left the family business when I moved to Colorado where I began working my way through college as a waitress in an upscale restaurant. Again, my attitude of service with an open heart paid off. Repeat customers requested to be seated in my section and many even left me ridiculously lucrative tips. The $50 and $100 tips were a far cry from the quarters I had earned in my early years and I appreciated them greatly. I loved learning about people and bringing a sense of joy and laughter into their world when they entered mine to come enjoy a meal.

After college, I was fortunate to move up quickly through the ranks into sales and marketing leadership positions. During my 25-year career, I attended training seminars on every sales process imaginable. While some of the maxims resonated with me and did truly result in meeting customer needs, others simply smacked of lip service. While in some sense I bought into the corporate models of leadership, management, and selling, every day I felt like I was pushing an obstinate elephant up a muddy hill. Not only was it physically taxing and emotionally draining – increasingly it began to squeeze my once-open heart closed. For me, the world of business had lost the personal exchange I so enjoyed.

When I launched my coaching practice, I was still operating under the ‘old corporate regime models’ and I struggled mightily – that is until I met coaches Rich Litvin and Steve Chandler. Rich and Steve went against the grain of traditional sales and marketing approaches and delightfully delivered me back to my roots – service with an open heart.

I love giving potential clients a free sneak-peek of what my coaching is really like. I happily spend two hours with each in a complimentary deep coaching session. They always walk away with at least one new insight and with the firsthand experience of my approach. I will often follow-up with other information, connections, books or videos that were pertinent to our coaching conversation. I think about whether or not this potential client inspires me and whether or not I’d like to coach with them one day. If so, I continue to serve them. And, when in doubt, I just continue to give.

This is what Adam Grant examines in his book, Give and Take. He researched the forces that shape why some people rise to the top of the ladder of success, while others never aspire to a level higher than they could have originally reached from the floor. In professional interactions, as Grant so aptly points out “it turns out that people operate as Takers, Matchers or Givers. The Takers strive to get as much as possible from others, the Matchers aim to trade evenly and the Givers are the rare breed of people who contribute to others without anything expected in return.” His research discovered that the Givers could be found at either the top OR the bottom rung of that ladder. It’s all about how, when and why you give that determines whether your generosity is appreciated or exploited.

When we serve others with an open mind and heart we are positively impacting not only them but also the collective consciousness of every other being on the planet. As human beings, we are constantly projecting thoughts from our minds and feelings from our hearts. Our body language, in and of itself, speaks volumes. All of this creates our energy. Everyone who reads or hears your words will be touched by one kind word, one loving act or one heartfelt touch. Your potential to uplift, inspire and serve countless beings knows no bounds. It’s important to be cognizant of your energy as you are serving with an open heart.

There are so many opportunities to serve others in life, not just through your profession alone. Whether you are opening a door, returning a lost wallet or buying a coffee for the person behind you at the drive-up window, you can practice serving. How we choose to live our lives and show up in the world is of supreme importance because we cannot go any deeper than the intention and consciousness behind our everyday actions.

There are so many people in the world that can benefit as you crack your heart wide open and serve. You just have to be authentic and willing to give. Focus on creating positive energy and light. And pay close attention to your intentions.
Create an attitude of giving. Be a bright light in the world. Craft a life of full authenticity.

From there, you simply need to sweep away the ‘cigarette butts’ of pre-judgment and convention that may at times be littered in front of you. Then you can serve and lead with an open heart.