The Service Card

"The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity."
-- Leo Tolstoy

In January 1996, Sven Atterhed, chair of the Foresight Group in Sweden, met Mother Teresa at her Mission in Calcutta. Upon learning of my meeting with her in Istanbul later that year, he wrote me of his profound experience:

"I was told that there was a slim chance I would see her. Visitors were welcome, but her work always came first. She traveled a lot (about 500 missions around the world) and worked from about 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. I went anyway.

I was greeted by a smiling sister who showed me to the Mission's waiting room. Some people had been waiting as much as a week.

When the Mother appeared, she surprised me with a great laugh, lots of humor, and a talent for storytelling. She shared one story, in particular, about how she negotiated a lease with the local authorities for the Mission and several other sites in Calcutta. 'We don't accept gifts from governments or local authorities, you see, but the lease is one Rupee per year,' she explained with a wink and a giggle. We loved the story.

We, of course, gave her all the money we had. We gave her our business cards, too, and asked for autographs. Then the Mother said to one of the Sisters, 'Go and get my business cards, please.'"

"The fruit of SILENCE is Prayer
The fruit of PRAYER is Faith
The fruit of FAITH is Love
The fruit of LOVE is Service
The fruit of SERVICE is Peace"
-- Mother Teresa's Business Card

"I carry the card with me everywhere. I knew when the Mother bid us farewell with a blessing that I had been in the presence of a saint. Not a distant saint, but an intensely practical and entrepreneurial spirit. I alternately felt awe and joy, stillness and a smile, a lump in my throat and a tear in my eyes -- all with a gentle laugh inside. I have met many entrepreneurs and I know one when I see one. That I would ever meet an entrepreneurial saint was something I had never expected, least of all in a convent."

"We can do no great things; only small things with great love." -- Mother Teresa

Brand Lifeline: Build Your Brand on the Power of Service

"The promise of business is to increase the general well-being of humankind through service." -- Paul Hawken

What should your "business" card read? What would you like it to read? What if you thought of it more as a "service" card?

You might consider an inner picture of yourself, the values and loyalties that inspire you, and the ways you hope to invest your time. You might consider a card that communicates the promise of who you are and what you can do for others.

None of us will become another Mother Teresa. We live in the business world, which hardly requires a vow of poverty ... It's difficult to demonstrate faith in the power of service -- to believe that you could receive unimaginable rewards bythinking of others and giving to them selflessly. In truth what really differentiates you in any marketplace is how you uniquely serve the needs of others and, in so doing, serve yourself.

"When altruism is selfish, it becomes sustainable -- perhaps forever." -- Bill Shore, executive director of Share our Strength

On May 21 I met a carpenter named Charlie whose life is a testament to the power of service and its impact on one's career and self-esteem.

By the time Charlie was 20, he was already divorced with a child. When Sharon got pregnant, the young couple married and Charlie dropped out of school. Soon after the baby was born, they split up. Without a college degree or much work experience, he was forced to choose between paying child-support and giving up his rights to see the baby. Charlie chose the latter.

Sharon met a wonderful man and remarried. Charlie kept in touch sporadically. As time went on, he called less often and Sharon's new husband became the "real" father.

Charlie became a carpenter and met a woman he planned to marry. A few months before their nuptials, he found her in bed with another man. Soon after, Charlie's life fell apart. He lost his job, his house, his car, his tools -- and his self-esteem. He found alcohol.