Do You Have That Quality That Sets Superstars Apart From Everyone Else?

If not, you can begin cultivating it today

Photo by Marc Zimmer on Unsplash

A few years ago, we hired a landscaper named Chad to improve a backyard pond and waterfall feature. I created the original koi pond when we bought our house. It would be a big upgrade and require some big bucks to accomplish.

I scheduled to meet with Chad to discuss the final design and logistics — as it requires bringing boulders and relocating some established bushes and plants. The day before that meeting, we received his upsetting email message.

The message was brief — in essence, he said that the company he owned was closing its doors permanently, and they would not be able to do the project for us.

Chad assured me that he was refunding our three thousand dollar deposit. This amount reflects half the total cost of the project. The other half was to be paid on completion of the job.

It’s interesting how differently my wife and I react to certain situations. My first concern was for Chad and his business. I wondered what could have prompted him to shut down his operation abruptly.

I responded sympathetically to his message and wished him luck on whatever his next “thing” would be.

My wife’s first concern was that Chad might run off with our deposit money. A thought that did not even occur to me until she planted that idea into my head. She told me that the check we sent him had already been cashed.

My wife was away when I met with Chad initially to walk through the job scope. It was that meeting that convinced me that he was not a conman or a thief. The face-to-face meeting gave me a sense that Chad was a good guy.

I had a few other quotes from competitors, and Chad struck me as honest, professional, and passionate about his work.

I’m admittedly too trusting of people. I’m the type who trusts people until they give me a good reason not to trust them.

While speaking with Chad, he shared that he’d been in the corporate world for seventeen years and decided that he wanted to do something he was always passionate about. This landscape/water feature thing was his new focus.