Ep. 94 The Stern Truth: The Power of 10 Seconds

A few weeks ago, I was rushing to a meeting and stopped for coffee first. Being in a hurry, I wanted to get my coffee as soon as possible. The barista took a bit of extra time to write something on the cup, and, to be honest, I was agitated. Until I looked at the cup.

A small message that took 10 seconds to write changed my day. It changed my attitude. Even in a rush, I slowed down and took in that moment of kindness.

Like I say often, we need to slow down in order to speed up. Maybe it is 10 seconds or 10 minutes, or longer. Not everything has to be so rushed and reactive, especially in a small business.

Take 10 seconds to think about our day ahead. Just 10 seconds to plan it and set the intention. Or, better yet, use 10 seconds and interact with your customers or clients to make it count. I guarantee you’ll see a difference. 
 

What would your 10 seconds look like? I would love to hear the answer. Comment below or send me an email at marshall@marshallstern.net. 

Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/

Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup

Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session

I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges.

Get in touch in the comments or head to...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern
Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

Transcript

[00:00:00] Marshall Stern Hi, I'm Marshall Stern and I've spent over 35 years leading and growing multiple small businesses. I know firsthand the struggles of entrepreneurship, feeling isolated, lonely, overwhelmed, and feeling like you have to do it all by yourself. I've been through multiple recessions, and I have felt the highs and the lows.

[00:00:24] I've been there, and I get it. This podcast is here to change that. Every week I will bring you straight talking advice, real world strategies, and honest conversations about what it takes to succeed in business without the fluff, the gimmicks, or the sugar-coated. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress, then you are in the right place. 

[00:00:47] This is The Stern Truth. 

[00:00:47] Welcome back, my friends. Another episode of the Stern Truth Business Unfiltered. I want to talk to you about the power of 10 seconds. Now, this episode, don't worry, this episode will be longer than 10 seconds, but there is power in just 10 seconds. Let me explain. A few weeks back, I was on route to a meeting, and I was a little bit short for time.

[00:01:10] So I, I rushed into my Starbucks, my favorite Starbucks, and I went up to the barista, and I placed my order. Simple coffee. Nothing fancy, nothing you have to really wait for. They pour it right there and give it to you right away. And what happened next changed everything for me. The barista started to write something on the cup.

[00:01:31] You know, they like to write personal messages every now and then. I wasn't thinking about the message. I was just thinking about the time it took, and I was in a rush, and I felt in a rush, and I started to get irritated or agitated. He passed me the coffee with a smile, said, "Enjoy." And as I started to walk, I looked at the message on the cup that he had wrote, and it said, "Have an amazing day," with a smiley face.

[00:01:56] Wow. It took him all of 10 seconds, and here I am agitated because I am going to be late because he took 10 seconds to personalize something. My mindset shifted right away. This was brilliant. 10 seconds. I went from an agitated, rushed person to appreciation. I was still in a rush, but I wasn't thinking about that in the moment.

[00:02:24] I was very appreciative for this barista to take 10 seconds. It's changed my mindset from one of agitation to attitude. Sorry, agit- an agitated attitude to an attitude of gratitude. He was grateful for me. I was grateful for him. And it looked good on Starbucks as well. This is how they treat, train their people.

[00:02:45] This is how they treat their people. This is how their people thus treats their customers. What if we all did that? What if we all, with our customers, our clients, took 10 seconds, oh my gosh, out of our busy day to have an extra smile or to personalize something? Maybe it's personalizing an email message or a handwritten message What else can we do in 10 seconds?

[00:03:07] Have you thought about it? I hadn't until this moment, and I sat there, late for my meeting, in gratitude, thinking about the power of 10 seconds. We all live such a rushed life. Go, go, go. Even though I preach to my clients and I've preached to my employees in the past, once in a while we need to slow down in order to speed up.

[00:03:29] Well, this is it, the 10 seconds. It's the new 10-second rule. When you get an email, let's say from a customer or client, and it's not something you're happy to hear and you're agitated by it, instead of responding right away, being defensive, take 10 seconds. Slow down, then respond in a more calm, practical, professional manner.

[00:03:52] When we get up in the morning, take an extra 10 seconds. My gosh, it's going to make such a difference. We're going to be so behind. No, 10 seconds. Maybe it's 10 minutes. 10 seconds to 10 minutes, right? Take 10 seconds to just think about our day, plan the day, set the intention. Maybe take a minute, but it's in those 10 seconds where you make that decision that you're going to slow down and then take that minute or even 10 minutes to get into the zone and plan the day.

[00:04:18] If you're at a networking event, take that extra little bit of time to introduce yourself to someone in a calm, not a rushed way. This isn't... Unless it's speed networking, it's not. If an employee does something out of character, out of line, or that you're not happy with, take 10 seconds, then approach them.

[00:04:37] Where else? My question to you is where else in your life can you take 10 seconds to just slow down for 10 seconds? It might shift everything for you. Instead of being reactive, slow down 10 seconds, breathe, then be proactive. Not everything has to be rushed. 10 seconds, my friends, is 10 seconds, and there will be multiple 10 seconds in a day that you can take, you and your team can take, to slow down in order to speed up.

[00:05:06] 10 seconds the Starbucks barista took – they take with every client. That adds up for them, and it adds up for the clients, the customers as well, in a good way. Starbucks could have pre-printed, and maybe they've done that in the past, I don't remember – they could have pre-printed, "Have an amazing day," or a variety of different sayings in a handwriting instead of having the barista take the time out of their day to do this.

[00:05:33] But, no, they want it to be personal, and it's a different message every day I go in. Some days it's my name written, you know how they like to write them, and most of the times incorrectly. I've had some weird ones. But it's all about the personal approach, the personal touch. What can you do with your customers, with your clients, to take 10 seconds with every interaction?

[00:05:55] Maybe it's a simple thank you. Maybe it's, "How are you? How are you doing?" That doesn't even take 10 seconds. So, my question for you this week is how can you slow down in order to speed up, and where can you take that extra 10 seconds with a client, customer, with an employee, with yourself to make it count?

[00:06:17] It's just 10 seconds, my friends. It's not 10 hours. It's 10 seconds. Now when I go into Starbucks, I'm expecting the 10-second wait. I'm looking forward to the 10-second wait. Where else can you have your clients, where else in your world can you have those 10 seconds, those... Taking those 10 seconds, not just 10 seconds, because we all have the same 10 seconds, we all have the same time, we all have the same 24 hours in a day, but where can you make those 10 seconds so powerful that it can make a real big difference?

[00:06:52] That's my question for you, and I would love your feedback. Comment below or send me an email to marshall@marshallstern.net. What's your 10 seconds look like? How can you make it powerful? We'll see you next week on another episode of The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered. Enjoy. Enjoy the 10 seconds.

[00:07:14] Thank you so much for tuning in to the Stern Truth. If you found today's episode helpful, we would love to hear from you. Please like, share, and leave us a review. Also, if you'd like to be a guest in an upcoming episode or join us in one of our Momentum accountability group sessions, simply email me to marshall@marshallstern.net.

[00:07:35] That's marshall@marshallstern.net. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Until next time, keep pushing forward and leading with confidence.