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This series of “Lessons from Al” is dedicated to the life and legacy of one of the most influential mentors in my life, career, and management, Al Berg.

Add this to the “Statements You Would Never Hear at NASA” list:

“Countdown…3…2…1…Oops, did anybody remember to fuel up?”

Rocket scientists know the importance of these things. That is why they are called rocket scientists. They will spend enormous amounts of time and mental energy meticulously designing, constructing, testing, and perfecting the perfect rocket.

But they are also very much aware that if they did not have two very basic components, their work of art and engineering marvel would be grounded.

Those two essential components are: Fuel and Fire.

This week’s “lesson from Al” is that “Service is a Propellant.”

Al taught me that you can have the best product on the market. But if you don’t have the fuel of great service to your customers, your company will go nowhere. Service is one of those intangibles no one really notices until it is missing; and then, wow, do they notice!

Company leaders are very driven, and so the focus is often placed heavily on production and sales. Marketing gets a lot of (necessary) attention.

But often, underneath the bus, capped away and out of sight, is the hidden force that will provide propulsion…the fuel tank of customer service.

For many, that tank is running on fumes.

This is where Al stood out from the crowd.

He instilled in his team an intense focus on customer service. With both external customers and internal team, he built strong trust based on extraordinary service.

His bottom line wasn’t just about profit. It was also about answering the equally important question: “Is the customer well-served?”

He knew that a company would not remain profitable if that bottom-line question could not be answered without hesitation and with a firm absolute. That was the fuel that propelled the business from a startup to a major corporation in a relatively short length of time.

Now the fact is, fuel can sit in the tanks near the launch pad for a very long time, and nothing happens. It takes a catalyst to create forward movement. In this case, that catalyst is fire.

Fire + Fuel creates propulsion.

This works on the premise that the heat of the fire causes expansion and movement at a molecular level. The ensuing explosion propels the rocket clear into outer space. It is an amazing phenomenon.

Does your organization have Fuel and Fire?

• Does your organization have a great product or service? Excellent!
• Does it have the fuel of high potency customer service and support?
• Does it have a leadership team to provide the catalytic fire to ignite service to a level that propels the organization to higher and higher levels?

This was the lesson.

Fire and Fuel.

Service as a propellant.

Leaders as catalysts.

As the CEO of Strength Leader Development, Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after international executive mentor, coach, trainer and speaker. Deb is well versed in global business operations and helps business leaders and their teams to discover and leverage their strengths, so they can create highly collaborative teams that deliver great results. With a refreshingly direct style, Deb helps leaders and their teams to deliver profitable results. Connect with Deb to learn more about her mentorship and coaching programs to equip you with advanced strategies to elevate your results.