Princess Diana Exhibit Shows Commitment to Service

Princess Diana

Not long ago, Debbie (my wife) and I attended the Lady Diana Exhibit at the Mall of America, in Bloomington, MN. (Actually the exhibition is called “Diana a Celebration“.)

Contrary to how our CBS affiliate (WCCO) reported on the Diana Exhibit, it did not end with her dresses. The final, and in my opinion most important, part focused on Lady Diana’s charity and service work over the years.  She brought attention to the victims of AIDS, landmines, leprosy and other issues that caused suffering.

Something I read in the exhibit referred to her impact and her willingness to do what other celebrities had not done, in her quest to serve. For example, She touched people who had leprosy. She made physical contact with them. Yet many people considered such an act dangerous, believing they could contract the disease by doing so.

As a global celebrity,  Diana’s willingness to break the touch barrier helped erode some of the myths around leprosy. It helped others take a different view of the disease and the people who suffered from it. And, perhaps it provided a positive affirmation for people suffering from the disease.

It was just one example of how she made a difference in people’s lives.

Being a newly minted princess, a global celebrity, a wife and a mother, Diana had a busy life. She had plenty of obligations on her time and attention. Yet she insisted on helping others around the globe. She invested herself (and all the resources she could bring to bear) in activities that served others.  She made a place in her life for service.

So, what does this have to do with customer service?

As we think about how to best serve our customers, there are many tactics and strategies we might consider. But I believe the most important piece of the customer service puzzle is caring. All the training and processes and policies in the world won’t matter if people don’t care about others. And if they do, creating a service-driven culture is easy.

Princess Diana showed the world how to care and how to serve. She made it look easy. And she made a difference in people’s lives.

What kind of difference could you make by caring about and serving others today?