Our story comes from Robb in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
John,
Here’s a story that absolutely “wowed” me. Bottom line, it’s about people coming together to take accountability for helping strangers.
Driving home from Minneapolis to Winnipeg, the battery light on our car dashboard came on just north of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Then another warning light. Then another. Then the radio stopped working. This was followed by the lights and the speedometer failing! We were hoping to make it to Canada before the car stalled, but the car seized up and we pulled to the side of the highway. From the middle of, well, nowhere, we called Triple A and they sent Kevin, a mechanic, to help us. He said that we needed a new alternator, so he gave our battery a quick charge so we could drive ten miles to the town of Grafton. Kevin advised us that we’d probably be spending the night there since it was now evening and the local garages would all be closed.
Thinking we were good to go, Kevin departed. We started toward Grafton, but the car stalled five miles later. Contacting AAA once more, they sent Kevin back to us—only this time to tow us to Grafton!
As Kevin predicted, all the local garages were closed. But that didn’t deter him: He had made it his personal mission to solve our problem.
He located a small car dealership with an in-house garage named Otto’s Autos, but they’d closed for the day. However, when we pulled in, David, the General Sales Manager, was still there after hours chatting with a friend—also named Kevin. Otto’s mechanics had left, but that didn’t stop David and the new Kevin from helping us out.
They immediately went to work trying to locate an alternator in the cars for sale on their lot that would fit our vehicle, but none did. David and the two Kevins didn’t quit there. As David put it, he didn’t want us to have to spend the night in a hotel, and he would do whatever he could to get us home to Winnipeg that night. So he called the owner of an auto parts store at home who came and re-opened his store to get us the part we needed. Together, the three guys used Otto’s garage to install the alternator. An hour later, the car was running and we were on the road again.
John, looking back at the experience, here’s what could have happened:
Kevin, the tow truck driver, could have dropped us off in Grafton and left. But he didn’t.
David, the sales guy, could have said, “Gee, sorry, I’m not a mechanic!” But he didn’t.
David’s friend, Kevin, could have said, “Not my problem. Gotta get home now.” But he didn’t.
The owner of the auto parts store could have said, “We’re closed!” But he didn’t.
In reality, what happened is this: These men gave us the gifts of their time and talent. We were overwhelmed by their personal accountability and outstanding service. And, of course, the truth is—they simply cared. And that is what is most outstanding of all.
Robb R.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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What a terrific story about the power of helping people. And here are two gentlemen who do just that: Justin Lukasavige and Derek Sisterhen. Great guests on the Be Outstanding! show titled Coaching: Be a Coach, Get a Coach! …
http://webtalkradio.net/shows/be-outstanding/
John G. Miller