Earlier this week, I wrote how a CEO is Jerusalem is “constantly listening and trying to innovate”. He is looking to provide his customers with that “feel good” factor. Crucially, he is aware that whatever that ‘factor’ is today, it will change by tomorrow.

With a sense of some ironical timing, the subject has already come up on two further instances.

First, I met up with a client of mine, who was asked to describe the service she is trying to provide to her target market. What was interesting about the response was how it was centred around what was important to her.

Yes, she brought some key and essentials values. She even mentioned the ‘feel good’ phrase. Fine, but the overall position was controlled from her perspective. She had failed to appreciative the psychology of why a prospective client may be getting in touch. She had ignored what are the real motivating determinants.

Look at it another way. A shopping mall is not just a convenient place to find all your favourite retail outlets under one roof. The owners of the premise have designed it so that you can have a complete or perfect ‘experience’; background music, easy access to different floors, rest benches, and plenty of friendly eateries. The thought process goes the extra mile on behalf of the customer, trying to understand their needs.

Second, I have to admit, I did not do my best recently. I was asked to make a submission, only to receive an email, which explained what I had failed to clarify. My initial reaction was full of expletives, anger directed at the bureaucrat. Eventually, I took a deep breath and read the comments in detail.

The anger mellowed to annoyance, which I found that I was turning it towards myself. It became cringingly obvious to me that I had rushed the work and cut corners, hoping to ‘get away with it’. When I finish posting this piece, I will have to invest extra time in fixing something that should have sailed through. There is a lesson here for all of us.

So what is doing your “level best’ all about? How can we convince ourselves not to be so lazy? Have a look at this Hollywood clip for 6 minutes.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vB59PkB0eQ&feature=youtu.be