Service Pays Dividends

Helloo0O Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario, your one stop blog discussing the traits that made the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll successful and how those same traits can be used to make you more successful. This week, we’re going to make a reference to last week's post but we’re going to be talking about service.

Last week, we talked about how it was Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of England and the British Commonwealth’s Diamond (sixty year mark) Jubilee. Here at Graceland Ontario (which is part of Canada, where her Majesty is head of state), we talked about stability as one of the main reasons why people love her. Another trait she exhibits is service.

The average person works for over twenty years before they earn their pension. A few exceptional people work for thirty years. If you’re a martyr, you might work forty years. I can’t tell you anyone I know who worked for fifty, let alone sixty, years. Most people get to the age of sixty and want a pension (not that I can blame them) − if you asked them to work for sixty years until they’re 86 (yep, her Maj’s birthday’s in April and she’s in her mid-eighties) they’d think you were crazy.

“So, she’s dedicated. Why should I care?”

People admire a person, man or woman, who would dedicate that long to their country. Some people feel patriotism for their nation, for the Queen it’s her job. People respect her because of her service, they respect her very much − even if they don’t believe in the monarchy.

Now, though Elvis in no way showed that kind of service to an office, he did to his fans.

In, "A Predicament Called Presley," September 7, 1957, Elvis said, "…fans want my shirt. They can have my shirt. They put it on my back." He loved his fans because he felt they were responsible for where he’d been put. But it went deeper than that.

Patrick MacDonald, music critic for the Seattle times, wrote on August 16^th, 2002, the 25^th anniversary of the King’s death, that, at one concert, “[Elvis] kissed a lot of girls and gave away a lot of scarves, but was kindest to a cute little girl who presented him with a royal crown on a satin pillow. She got a hug, a kiss and a scarf.”

I mean, this was in the middle of a big concert. Not only could Elvis respect his fans but he could respect his fans as individuals. He, a busy superstar, took the time to give one little girl a hug, a kiss and a scarf. That extra little service to his fans made him exceptional.

Elvis would kiss his fans, he would talk to his fans, he would stop shows for his fans. Considering how important he was, he was really dedicated to his fans. And, what was especially important, he could single out his fans and make them feel like human beings. For a man that busy, what an incredible achievement; what a wonderful way to show service to his fans. And guess what? His fans love him back for that extra effort. And people who see his shows respect him for treating his fans that way, even if they don’t like his style of music (like they respect the Queen for working so long even if they don’t appreciate the monarchy).

So, what does this mean for you? It means that when you put in that little extra effort, give a little extra service to those around you, people notice. And they respect it. And the more service you give, the more respect you get. And even if people don’t like your style or work, they begin to appreciate you as a person. Then, they tell their friends about their appreciation and soon more people respect you. Over time, that appreciation of you, as an individual, can work into your finances (everyone’s a potential customer) and your social life (all the possible tea dates you can now have). For a little extra service given at your place of work everyday that sounds like more than healthy compensation.

Elvis’s Lessons:

Both Elvis and Queen Elizabeth II have given incredible service, in the Queen’s case to her country and in Elvis’s to his fans. They make others feel special by giving that bit extra than everybody else. And even if people don’t like their style, they respect them for giving that bit extra. When you start adding that extra little bit of service, people start respecting you more, too. And even if they don’t like what you do, they can tell their friends and get more people interested in you. The more people interested in you, the better it is for your financial and social lives. It’s a lot to gain for a little extra service given.

P.S. If you're interested in seeing Elvis showing service firsthand, here's a video of him interacting with his fans (while on horseback!).

P.P.S. If you agree (or disagree) with what I'm saying, remember to drop a comment below or email me at alexghilson@gmail.com. I'd love to hear your stories, feedback and constructive criticism.

The Elvisian Diamond Jubilee Special

Hey Ladies and Gentleman,

Welcome back to Graceland Ontario for another week of finding the success lessons the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll showed and learning how to implement them into your life. This week we’re going to talk about stability.

As you might know if you’re British, from a Commonwealth country or otherwise well-informed, the Queen of England and the British Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee was earlier this week (in other words, she’s been on the throne for sixty years). Anybody working that long is pretty impressive but considering she’s eighty-six and still going strong, it’s mind blowing.

Anyways, after watching the Jubilee concert on Monday, I watched a couple interviews on BBC from some of the most famous performers (Sir Elton John, Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Paul McCartney) on why they thought the Queen was so special. The message that got me thinking the most was the one from Sir Elton John; he said, essentially, that people love the Queen because in this ever-changing world, she’s constant − she’s stable.

Strangely enough, that made me think of Elvis. Now, in the past I’ve talked about how Elvis was good acting with change. This is true. But, being constant/stable does not require one to not change. The Queen has changed many times in her life; her hair’s gone silver, she stopped riding her horse, Burmese, during the Trooping of the Colour (a military ceremony held every year in honour of the Queen’s official birthday) and members of her family (her father, mother, sister) have passed away. But, despite this change, the Queen still seems the same; she still rarely smiles (but when she does, it’s always a beam), she’s got that funny little wave and she’s always helping people around the world, perpetually busy.

That’s what I mean about being constant. She’s reliable, not predictable in action but predictable in character. We see a situation and think we know how the Queen would react because she’s got a constant set of values. The same is true for Elvis and our belief in how he would react because he tended to act a certain, stable way, whatever change was present in his life.

When we think about Elvis, we think about that strong, humble character who honestly believed he was “just an entertainer”. He changed and faced change through his life (like all of us) through careers (musician to movie-star and back again) and went through marrying, having children and then divorcing (an all too common pattern these days). But, his character remained constant. And being constant in character builds trust; whatever happened, we believe Elvis would react in a responsible manner. We play him for our kids because being trustworthy and consistent means being a good role model (you have to be consistent to be a role model or you won’t be showing a lead to follow). We even take strength in his music because he seems stronger than we are (or his consistency makes him seem stronger). We trust he’d be capable of doing the right thing given any situation, even when we’d doubt ourselves, and we hold onto him like a senior with a cane when we’re in trouble.

So, what’s the benefit of being consistent/stable? People imagine that your life’s stable and they want to hold onto you to stabilize because their life’s wild. The truth is everyone’s life’s wild, even if you’re Elvis or the Queen, but when you’re going through hell you don’t think that − you imagine you’ve got it the worst. So when you’re scared that your existence is going to throw you into the rapids, you listen to someone like Elvis or watch the Queen who seems perfect and ‘normal’. They’d be able to deal with this, you think and you hold onto their image of stability for dear life.

It’s not necessarily being stable that counts, it’s looking stable. If people see a stick jutting out of a tree while they’re sinking in quick sand, they’re going to try to hold onto it. They don’t know that stick’s rotten on the inside. It looks like support so they grab for it.

Now, imagine you’re the stable one, the Elvis or Queen of your business or social circle. Sure, there’ll be the people who are needy and want you to support them all the way but there are others who only want to see someone consistent in their ragtag existence. When that person’s you, they respect you and become your follower. Why? Simply because they trust you’ll remain the same in character, an individual they’ll be able metaphorically hold on to when times get tough. The nice thing about trust is they’ll support you in your ventures and career, too (trust is easily transferred). By being stable, people will think you’re safe to socialize with, to deal with, to confide with. It puts you in a position of power. And a little extra power never hurt anyone. But remember not to abuse that power. Abusing the trust of people who believe in you is not a great idea… with power comes responsibility. I hope you can hold that responsibility for the best.

On a side note, a very happy Diamond Jubilee, your Maj! I trust you reign for many more wonderful years…

Elvis’s Lessons:

As Sir Elton John put it, one of the reasons people love the Queen of England and the British Commonwealth is because she’s consistent/stable. Like Elvis, she has predictable values that we can count on and trust. People’s lives are crazy but they tend to think they’ve got it worse than someone else. When you become the stable one (or put that image across), people latch onto and begin to trust you. With this trust comes a position of power. It’s up to you not to abuse this power but to use it well, to use it to help others, to make others as stable as you’ve become. That’s the true wish of those seeking stable people. A wish you can make reality.

P.S. If you’re interested in seeing the original Sir Elton John video I referenced in this post, you can find it off this BBC article.

P.P.S. Remember to leave a comment or send me an email at alexghilson@gmail.com to add to the conversation.