United Airlines lists it as 498,377 miles. In the six and a half years I’ve worked at GlobalEnglish, that’s how many miles United’s friendly skies have carried me. Those flights have taken me to places I never imagined visiting, places such as Vietnam, Brazil, India, Italy, Thailand, Denmark… even St. Louis 
It’s easy to quantify miles traveled, revenue generated, number of meetings held, or number of nights on the road, but pointless to quantify without considering the sole reason for all that activity: IMPACT.
What difference did we make?
I’ll remember my clients who landed jobs, earned promotions, won deals, and gained confidence by mastering the English language. I’ll remember the communities combating crime and poverty by investing in their young people. I’ll remember the executives who fought for their people amidst budget cuts. I’ll remember the customers who hosted me in their countries and introduced me to their cultures. And I’ll remember the amazing team with whom I worked, the team that built our company from a tiny start-up to a multinational force worthy of acquisition.
GlobalEnglish, you are growing up! Now you’re part of a massive organization whose product offerings dwarf the tiny niche that we served, and I am cheering for you to leverage that size to deliver an even more meaningful impact.
Last week was my final week with GlobalEnglish.
I’m not sure yet what the next chapter will be, but my #1 hope is that I’ll again be honored to serve a customer base as friendly and a team as professional as the one that we developed at GlobalEnglish.
498,377 miles and six years taught me these lessons:
- The human relations principals Dale Carnegie revealed a century ago work anywhere on Planet Earth.
If you’re not familiar with them, print them out and post them next to your computer. They will serve you better than any tourist guide book or culture notes.
- No one cares what you’re selling until they understand how you can help them.
Approach your customers with an offer ONLY after you are convinced what you offer is better than what they’re doing today. Better to research, understand, and serve ONE customer than to scatter an insincere, irrelevant message across a hundred customers.
- Say and write Thank You.
Executives the world over are fighting every day for their employees, their customers, and their vendors yet they’re almost never thanked for it. Make the time to say Thank You, and do it with sincerity. (By the way: A quick “thanks” doesn’t cut it. Write the Thank You and tell the person exactly why you’re thankful.)
- Smile.
When you’ve missed your connecting flight and you’re caught in airport hell, be kind to the customer service agent who’s behind the counter. It’s not their fault, and they can perform miracles for those who treat them with patience and respect.
To my GlobalEnglish customers and colleagues, THANK YOU! You have overwhelmed me with your kindness and well wishes. I am humbled.
You all made a tremendously positive IMPACT on me and I’m forever grateful for it.
To all my RideWithBen blog readers, I assure you this blog will continue. No matter what the future brings, this blog remains a nice way for us to stay in touch.