My unforgettable lesson in listening happened on a very hot August day in south Mississippi, where I was working in a seed, feed, and fertilizer warehouse. My co-workers had gone for a lunch break, yet as a fifteen year old I was sure I could take care of customers easily.
A pickup truck backed up to the loading ramp. Standing as tall as I could, I asked the driver if I could help him.
“Yep,” he answered, and told me his order.
I had two choices. Needing to deliver ten 100 pound sacks of fertilizer, I could have made two trips with the carrier we called a “dolly.” But the ego of youth won out, and I loaded all ten sacks, wheeled them to the front, and dumped each one into the back of his pickup truck.
“Anything else, sir?” I asked with a bit of a swagger.
“Sure is, boy. Take ‘em all back.”
“Why, what’s wrong?” I wondered.
“Son, I ordered ten pounds of fertilizer, not ten sacks.”
THE FARMER EXPLAINED WHY HE MADE ME DO IT
Then he explained why he hadn’t stopped me when he saw my mistake: “Young fella, right now you might hate me for letting you unload all those sacks. But I’m ornery enough to believe you’ll listen to instructions a lot more carefully from now on before you start a job.”
He was right about my anger. As you can guess, I was fuming inwardly. I felt the blood throbbing in my temples, and I was too short of breath to answer.
HOW THE HARD-EARNED LESSON HELPED ME
Now, all these years later I value what he taught me. That customer’s lesson has helped me when I heard professors give assignments, took travel directions, had weekly meetings with bosses, and listened to prospective clients describe their needs.
You’re long gone, old farmer, and I never knew your name. Yet your lesson in listening still helps me get things right the first time.
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