Many of us in the consulting, coaching or training business know that time is money. When we design and price our services, our clients understand that time we have invested has a cost. It’s why we detail our cancellation or no-show policies. The amount charged is to protect the consultant who has already invested time to create content, prepare a course or establish a space for a session.
But then there’s Betsy. I met her at a certification session and was impressed by her upbeat energy and confident wisdom. It made sense to partner with her when I had a large project that required a coach for a leadership skills initiative for 32 operations managers. Participants would receive various instructor-led training modules supplemented by three individualized coaching sessions. Obviously, we set our parameters regarding no-shows with the possibility of rescheduling a limited number of free of charge.
As the months went by and we touched base regarding the progress of the participants, I was impressed to hear Betsy say, “We’re at 100%!” and I thought, wow, how did she do that? I certainly didn’t get 100% attendance during the training sessions.
She told me her methodology. She requested everyone’s mobile beforehand. If they were late to a session, she would call or text them. Most of the time, the managers would apologize and explain that they were critically low on staff or that a crisis had presented itself that made it impossible to meet at that moment.
She would tell them that she wanted their success, didn’t want them to lose this valuable tool and offered them the gift of another opportunity at a session (without charging the corporate client extra). They were always grateful and made the effort to be on the next call.
I was touched by her motherly devotion to her clients. “No leader left behind”, she said. I admired that, because it would have been so much easier to just bill for that hour and forget about it. After all, one could argue that adults have the choice to prioritize, and it is what it is.
Her generosity has not gone unnoticed. Her clients have had nothing but good things to say about her and their appreciation has been evident in their comments. Her unspoken message is, I care about you as a person, not just my own welfare. It speaks to the spirit of service towards our fellow humans in a world that seems to be seeped in individualism.
If I’m honest, it’s inspired me to be more generous as well. I now go a step further in my follow-up of the post-work I assign, providing further individualized insights and suggestions.
Would it be nice to have recognition and remuneration for going the extra mile? Sure, but it’s not about that. It’s the satisfaction of knowing you have gifted someone something valuable. Maybe it’s a good moment to ask ourselves, “How can I be more generous?”
