Giving a Damn is The New Benchmark

When you give a damn, you give energy – good quality energy. When you don't you zap energy. My butcher, hardware store and car dealership are all 20 minutes farther away than their competition, but they really give a damn about their staff, their products, services and clients – and it shows. They flourish and grow while their imitators come and go.  Why?  Because human beings are energy systems. We thrive on the quality and the quantity of the energy we get from other people.

Companies like WestJet, Four Seasons Hotels and Tim Horton's give a damn – and it shows – they energize their staff and customers. Trip Advisor rates thousands of vacation spots that give a damn. There are online reviews for everything because giving a damn is becoming the new benchmark – and it comes from the gut so it's easy to spot a fake.

- WestJet employees are owners. They share the wealth, listen to their customers and staff, and celebrate successes. 

-Four Seasons golden rule is – "if you treat people well, the way you would like to be treated, they will do the same to you" 

-Tim Horton's mandate is to find ways to give back to their guests and to the communities in which they operate.

Here are three rules to think about actions so you show you give damn.

1)    Listen with your eyes and give physical (nods and smiles) and spoken feedback 

2)    Create empathy by assuming rapport ( treat people as if you already know them).

3)    Get permission and buy-in by combining people, projects and purpose.

Sure you must deliver the goods, but increasingly consumers are making their purchase decisions based on "Does the chef who prepared this meal look like she gives a damn about my food?"  "Does this mechanic give a damn about my car?"  "Does this realtor/bank/airline give a damn about the impact they have on my life?"  It's easy to spot and relatively easy to fix.