The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn

Book Jacket

In his powerful new book, The Fred Factor, motivational speaker Mark Sanborn recounts the true story of Fred, the mail carrier who passionately loves his job and who genuinely cares about the people he serves.  Because of that, he is constantly going the extra mile handling the mail--and sometimes watching over the houses--of the people on his route, treating everyone he meets as a friend.  Where others might see delivering mail as monotonous drudgery, Fred sees an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those he serves.

Review

A friend of mine is studying to get her Master's, and The Fred Factor was a book she had to read for class.  She highly recommended it, and since it was only 108 pages (short inspirational books are the best inspirational books), I gave it a go.

I'm so glad I did!  Although it is mostly concerned with the business world, Fred principles can, and should, be applied to all areas of life.  I tend to get really excited about NEW things, and as the newness wears off, so does my enthusiasm.  The key to a Fred life, though, is to maintain a passion for the things you do and the people you meet. 

This book makes me want to see every library patron as a friend and to put personal service over the company line.  The awesome thing about doing that (putting the customer first) is that usually, you'll be rewarded anyway.  If you bend the rules to make a patron happy, thereby losing a bit of money for the company, that might seem stupid.  But chances are that customer will become a dedicated return patron, and might even rave about your business to others.  So ultimately, it's a win.

Of course, that is not the full Fred principle.  Because even if you go above and beyond the call of duty, there is a good chance you will not be rewarded.  Living only for a reward will not bring lasting happiness.  You have to serve others because you WANT to.

I want to want to serve others all the time. 

Food for thought, and motivation to live each day like a Fred.

Four out of five thoughtful mail carriers.

Release Date:  April 2004
Reading Level:  Grade 5+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: Not currently part of Dunlap's collection.