As the parade of bad economic news has continued into the new year, I’ve noticed a much higher collective sense of anxiety.
You can feel and see it, around the water cooler, listening to the chatter at Starbucks, in the Blogosphere, and in the printed press.
The world-wide recession has only added worries to what Dalton Conley called in Newsweek (1/26/09) “an anxious culture where we are haunted by the feeling that we are frauds, expendable in the workplace because so much of our service work is intangible”.
Like most of you who read this blog, I am in an “intangible service business”, so that quote didn’t sit too well with me, along with Conley’s description of all of us as the “Elsewhere class” – professionals dogged by a feeling that we should be elsewhere, always on the go.
On top of that, even the eternal optimist Ben Stein was soberly imploring us (in his most recent column in the NY Times) to “Be Prudent” and “Learn a useful skill that Americans really need – like law or plumbing or medicine or nursing”.
In other words, those of us “professional providers of intangible service” not arguing in courtroom, repairing a faucet, wielding a scalpel, or taking a pulse should be scared out of our wits (and going back to college or trade school).
Oh really?
I think not.
Those who provide services in what Conley calls “abstract industries” should not be so casually lumped into the morass of intangibility.
Rather, I’d suggest these two determining characteristics of whether or not the provider of any good or service should really be nervous:
- Does it deliver true value to the recipient?
- Was it delivered with commitment?
To put it slightly differently, if a business (or a person) is committed to providing a highly valued service and subsequently does so consistently, its “expendability” is significantly lessened, even in the face of outside negative factors.
The real challenge, then, is overcoming the fear of such the commitment. We can’t feel like frauds. We have to really believe we can deliver lasting value.
As someone who has been wrestling with fear quite a bit lately, and who has adopted a mantra to fight with it (“no fear, stay proud”), I realize this isn’t easy. We’re humans, after all.
But of course, there’s always something that comes along that helps you with the concept crystallization process. And I found it on a coffee cup.
I was at Starbucks yesterday, and bought my usual whole milk grande latte. I usually don’t read the “Way I See It” quotes that always appear on the cups, but for some reason this time I did.
Here’s what I read:
#76 – “The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life”
Bingo.
It was written by Anne Morriss, who was noted on the cup as a “Starbucks customer from New York City” who “describes herself as an organization builder, restless American citizen, and optimist”
(A little research revealed that Anne is now living in the Boston area, and she and Harvard Professor Francis Frei, a customer service researcher who I wrote about back in 2007, have started a blog, “Decision to Lead”. I’m sure this will be a must-read for students of leadership)
So in the face of all the anxious beasts out there waiting to pounce, the key to taming them, or at least keeping them at bay, is a never-wavering (and liberating) commitment to value.
Now, if I could only fix the leak in the sink…… 
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I love the quote! And I agree with you. Commitment, or the more active term, to commit works wonders in anything that we decide to do.
Intangible workers UNITE! Once again, you’ve hit the nail on the head, Terry. Times have changed and it constantly surprises me when I hear from those who haven’t seemed to notice. Look at how many “tangible” jobs have been lost so far. I believe the information economy will react differently to the recession and it all hinges on your point about value and quality of service. Some new industries have become just as valuable to consumers as plumbing or nursing. We need to stand up against the illinformed trying to sweep us into irrelevancy.
The days we can’t gain strength from a Starbucks cup, both from it’s content and contents, are dark ones indeed.
Excellent way to start an icy Wednesday, thanks. The only difference I am seeing is fewer clients and more potential clients. The problems aren’t going away, but their budgets are limiting their ability to proceed. So I’m giving more away for now, building out the network to sustain the business.
We solve problems. They’re not clogged sinks, broken bodies, or divorces – but they are problems all the same. They haven’t gone away, and neither will we.
I have to thanks Chris Brogan for tweeting this post. Zen from a coffee cup. The person who decided to put that on the cup was delivering an intangible…and look how it is going to ripple and create steady energy…renewable, dedicated, energy. Thanks to you, thanks to Chris…
That’s the kind of flow that can make just that bit of difference between getting the pipes fixed, and letting them rust.
Here here! A great invitation to look closely at what we do deliver–tangible or not and I’m in the biz of the intangibles as well–to see if it is indeed as valuable as it can be. And I love this “To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life” How frickin true!
First time here Terry but I’ll be back. Thanks for helping me set a higher intention for value in all I do.
Really interesting, thoughtful and useful post. Also, a nice non-narcotic tranq, too, given my own “intangible” queasiness. But am also resonanting to & want to build on JBordeaux comment about giving away more … I’m working with a company that’s been a client for years and now can’t be. It feels really good to be useful in a situation of real need — to be creating not just brand awareness, but to be helping drive activity that could literally save the business’ life. Especially since this is a business that most def ‘delivers true value, and is genuinely committed.” Maybe any ‘intangible workers’ feeling the anxiety you describe, should attempt to do something similar — help former or existing clients in their time of need. Or, pick small businesses that are threatened and help them. It feels good, but more importantly, it puts a kind of tangible/redemptive energy “out there”…And,on the self-serving end of things, it might also help you sharpen your chops. Heck, you might even get a valuable case study out of it …
Great post. I think that people (firms) that deliver “intangible services” with commitment and true value increases their “EXPAND-ability” and will allow them the opportunity to play another day. This is the corollary to the point you made about “Expendability” – where those that are not perceived to provide value or commitment will have the unique opportunity to do something else. I agree with your point and I’m sure you were using it as a negative and what firms should not be doing.
I came upon this post this morning because I googled “Anne Morriss” and found this. I was having a very similar week last week. My business provides high quality theater camps and parties to children. We have been very well received but all of these recession fears sunk in that caused me to question the work I do. “What do families really need that’s practical?” I started to ask myself. Sunday morning, I was at my lowest and I went to Starbucks. And, like you, I never read the cup…until now. This quote literally changed my mood around. And your post is truly more inspiration. It reminds me that, all of us, because we are human, seek more than just practical. And when you provide people high quality experiences, they want more. Thanks for your work!