This was a fantastic opportunity for us to meet and mingle with current and prospective clients. Our affiliated consultant partners flew in from around the country to work in our booth. We held a breakfast to introduce our new customer service training program, Blazing Service, to interested training directors. All in all, it was an energizing, positive experience.

But a personal high for me was the opportunity to set something right. Several years ago, we brought a new NetSpeed Leadership client (Company A) on board. They signed a contract, paid us a hefty sum of money, and scheduled a trainer certification workshop for six trainers. When I called to confirm the logistics of the training, I was informed that my key contact had been laid off! Not to worry, someone had taken his place and would move forward with NetSpeed Leadership; however, we rescheduled the trainer certification to give the new guy time to get familiar with his job. When I called again to confirm the logistics of the rescheduled training, I was informed that the new guy had been laid off!

I was handed off to an inexperienced employee who didn't quite know what to do. She said that she would look into the situation and get back to me. When I didn't hear from her for a couple of weeks, I began making fruitless phone calls to her number. One day someone answered the phone and informed me that she too had been laid off. Having moved down the food chain, I now asked to move up the food chain to the VP of HR. I began calling and emailing to explain that we wanted to fulfill this obligation. No one responded.

After beating my head against this brick wall for several months, I finally gave up. I figured one day someone at this company would find a contract filed somewhere and call us.

Fast forward: three years later (two days ago, in fact), I was standing at our booth at the ASTD EXPO when a training manager walked up. She informed me that her company had just merged with Company A. She explained their immediate need for leadership training for their supervisors and managers. When she paused, I said, “I think I'm about to tell you something that you're really going to like.” After telling her this story, I ended with, “So, you see, you're already a client. You have a license for NetSpeed Leadership. You've paid for six trainer certifications. All you have to do is fly me out there and you'll be good to go.” I can't tell you how satisfying it was to watch her hoot and holler in delight. She screamed, “Oh my God, it's like I just won the lottery. I can't believe it.”

Besides the obvious pleasure of making someone this happy, I have to say I have a bone-deep sense of satisfaction in simply doing the right thing. I place a high value on integrity and ethics and I'm back in alignment with my personal values. Ahhhhhh!