Bah, humbug!

“Bah, humbug!” are the immortal words uttered by Ebenezer Scrooge, after his nephew, Fred, wishes him a merry Christmas. Charles Dickens’ classic tale of greed and redemption has been retold scores of times in plays, readings, television, and movies. When A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843 there was surprisingly little celebration during the Christmas season. Many feel that the short story transformed Christmas into the major holiday it is today, and helped it to become a high point of the year.

Scrooge is the penny-pinching miser who owns a profitable, small business. As a creditor and an employer he is compassionless. Yet, after a visit from his deceased partner, and three ghosts that review the past, present, and what the future could become for Scrooge, he makes a miraculous transformation.

There’s a powerful lesson in the Dickens tale that every business owner can take to heart. Not only does the story inspire individuals to examine their personal lives to see if there is a smidgen of Ebenezer lurking in ones own personality, but each organization should also check if the “humbug” spirit haunts the corporate body.

According to the dictionary, “humbug” can mean “nonsense,” or it also defines a person who is not what he or she claims to be, or a quality of falseness, deception, or hypocrisy. Companies that go through “smile training” to improve their customer service are only making a cosmetic change in their personality. However, real change comes from within, and starts at the top. Only by changing the core values of an organization can real, significant change occur.

If you examine the differences between the finest organizations and the mediocre companies, you will find one distinguishing characteristic is the quality of their service to the customer. More specifically, customers care to buy from companies that show concern by caring for them – not in a superficial, humbug manner, but through a sincere desire to give the customer the best value and service for their money.

Herb Kelleher, former CEO of Southwest Airlines, is an example of the level of service and caring that is found within the finest organizations that have caring CEOs. He once remarked: “We are not an airline with great customer service. We are a great customer service organization that happens to be in the airline business.”

Many other companies have tried to imitate Southwest, but to little avail. These companies may understand the technical or conceptual requirements, but they do not realize that the heart of the service journey is spiritual rather than mechanical. Scrooge knew the mechanical aspects of running a profitable company, but it took the spirits to escort him on a journey through time to realize the consequences of his actions.

Southwest Airlines’ service transcends techniques and comes from the heart by choosing service over self-interest. To them, service is not being a humbug by merely teaching employees to act like customers are important. Southwest wants their employees to feel like they are genuinely loved and they work in an environment that values their contributions. When employees feel that they are treated with care and concern, they can focus their efforts on caring for the customer in a genuine manner.

As a result of Southwest’s strategy and service, they are the only U.S. airline to have made money every year since 1973. Since deregulation in 1978, which allowed the airlines to compete freely, more than 120 airlines have gone bankrupt, while Southwest has continued to expand.

What was the real change that caused Scrooge to transform from sinner to saint between dusk and dawn? He basically changed from caring less to caring more about others. The penny-pinching miser turned into a joyous humanitarian who was interested in the lives of others and had their best interest at heart. He learned to love others and in the process learned to love life.

Another lesson we can learn from Scrooge is that the Christmas spirit remained in him year round. After his transformation, “ he became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”

May you have a wonderful Christmas, and may your new year be transformational as you carry the Christmas spirit with you in all that you do.

(Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. Their work with hundreds of businesses in multiple industries has allowed them to customize guaranteed business enhancement programs. They can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)