To be the people of the last call. Not the ones who, when you phone them, say: that’s not my authority. Call the switchboard. I can’t help.
But the ones who say: I may not fully understand this, but I’ll find out who the right person is to help you. The ones who say: it’s in my hands, consider it done. The ones with whom you make your last call. You reach a solution.
We all know the opposite. The responsibility-tossers. The ones who make you feel they are doing you an enormous favor by even answering. And once they have answered, every question of yours will be met with: dunno. No idea. Ask someone else.
But sometimes, like sunshine on a gloomy day, like a pecan in a lettuce salad, you run into the people of the last call.
Their authority is exactly the same as that of all the other clerks/secretaries/assistants/employees. But they simply think big. They understand that even though they may not know the answer one hundred percent, they still have far more information than you do, because they know the people or the field. That what would take you three hours will take them three minutes. And they simply say: hold on a moment – and then come back and say: it’s settled. Taken care of.
There is one such figure in the Tanakh: Boaz of Bethlehem. When he promises Ruth to take care of the matter, Naomi says: “For the man will not rest until he has settled the matter today.” In other words – he will not let go of the problem until he has solved it completely, and this very day. What a wonderful verse.
Every time I meet someone like that, the rest of my day shines.
Let’s be the people of the last call.
