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Allen Togwell's Marketing Place |
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| How
often do we hear the moan that ‘you can never find a cab
when you want one’ - even during periods when supposedly
there is no work about? That happens to me quite often. For example, I was on the corner of Harley and Devonshire Streets one recent morning looking for a cab to take me back to the office - not any cab, but preferably one from DaC. It was raining and cold and search as I did amongst the empty cabs that were available, not one was Dial-a-Cab. After 15 minutes I gave up and hailed the very next cab that came along. Having settled in the cab and given my destination, I was in a strange mood, mischievous in fact, because as the driver pulled away I jokingly asked if I could negotiate the fare! It was just as well that I was wearing my seatbelt because the way this guy suddenly hit his brakes, I could well have gone head first through his partition window and ended up sitting on his lap! Boy did he go into one! Ok, so we all have bad days, but I think this guy must have been saving his up for months because I got the lot - from ponsy toffs who want everything on the cheap to the chilling decimation of Mayor Livingstone - if he could get his hands on him! Fortunately I was able to convince him that my remark was only a joke and we continued on our way, which was a relief because with his face turning a deeper shade of red by the minute, I had visions of this chap having a heart attack and whilst I might have been partially to blame, the thought of doing a mouth to mouth job on this toothless, unshaven and rather unhealthy looking cabman filled me with dread! I mention the above not just because of not finding an empty DaC taxi, but more specifically on the matter of being happy in your work. Because sadly, my little experience with that very aggrieved and obviously very unhappy driver was not an isolated incident, regrettably I see it all the time. So where have all the cheeky, cheerful cabbies gone…? I was still asking myself this question when by coincidence, I happened to read an article published by the City and Guilds about the satisfaction of the country’s workforce. Each year the C&G do a study on job satisfaction and it appears more and more people than ever are swapping their desk-bound jobs for a vocation that enables them to be hands-on, use their brains and to be in charge of their own destiny because, as we spend so much time at work, it’s important that we enjoy the work we do. How many, I wonder, came into our industry with that attitude and if they did, what’s gone wrong? Why are so many looking dour, grumpy and so unsmiling? Included in the C&G study was a ‘Happiness Index’ at the head of which (no pun intended) were hairdressers, with 40% of happiest workers! Then came cooks, plumbers, builders, healthcare workers etc and then further down a very long list in the 5% bracket came, for example, accountants, lawyers, financial industry workers and lastly civil servants on 2%. What disappointed me was that our trade didn’t even make the list - which says a lot about what a miserable bunch we are perceived to be and what’s more concerning if it’s true, is it damaging our business? I’ve spoken for years about attitude brought about by appearance, with the philosophy of ‘if you look good, you feel good’ and part of feeling good is greeting people with a smile. In fact when I think of appearance and being happy in the same context, it reminds me of an old quote: Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important… |
So why is it not happening,
particularly when you consider that as a nation we are
(apparently) richer and healthier than ever, we have more and
better food, clothes, cars, holidays and houses and yet we are
no more happier than 40 years ago? |
"I am in a state of deep
depression. I wake up each morning dreading the day ahead. I
find that nothing lifts the clouds of gloom. I try various
distractions, but nothing seems to work. I pray, but inspiration
does not come. I need the rabbi's help and advice." The rabbi sent back a brilliant reply without using a single word. He simply circled the first word of each sentence of the letter and sent it back. That word was ‘I’. As the person who has consistently spoken about the importance of image, you would be excused for thinking my reason for commenting on miserable-looking drivers is strictly business related, which is not exactly true. As a Board of management of a friendly society, part of our duty is to the well-being of our members. With a membership as large as ours, we are constantly being made aware of the tragic circumstances affecting individual subscribers or members of their family, which in the majority of instances makes a mockery of the moans and groans that we hear daily from drivers who just don’t know how lucky they are. To these, I would say stop and take stock of your life. Look around you at those who are less fortunate than you and appreciate what you have, no matter how small or trivial it may seem. Simple things such as taking your children or grand children for a day out or a walk in the park, enjoying the fresh air, listening to the birds or looking at the flowers and then think of the number of people who can do none of these simple but valuable things. There is rarely a day goes by in your job when you don’t pass a hospital, so when you next do let your mind pause for a moment and think of the suffering inside those walls and then count your blessings. I don’t wish to sound morose, but during the period of writing this piece, I’ve twice attended a Variety Club dinner and seen the work that the charity does for the hundreds upon hundreds of severely handicapped children - children who will never experience a normal life. And of course we all know of the wonderful work our own trade charities do for the disabled and handicapped. At the same time, I’m reading articles about stroppy, uneducated, petulant footballers complaining that wages of £55,000 a week are not enough and also of the thousands of young people being treated for depression because they are not living a celebrity lifestyle like the Beckhams. The World has gone crazy… Becoming a licensed taxi driver is not a profession that will make you rich, so it’s pointless driving yourself nuts trying. What you do have is freedom and regular employment, which is wealth in itself and should be valued. The one genuine reason for looking unhappy of course and the most difficult to rise above is being in poor health, which apart from serious cases where those effected have no control, in other instances much of it is caused by poor eating habits, smoking and the general lack of interest in keeping fit. It’s a fact that in the UK one in three adults has high blood pressure of which over 30% don’t know it, whilst two out of three has high cholesterol - both of which apart from being the cause of a stroke or a heart attack, can make you feel below par. I would guess that if a survey was taken amongst the cab trade alone, those averages would be much higher. So don’t wait until there is a deterioration in your well-being and your attitude towards your job, the first signs of which is not knowing why you look so miserable. Do something about it and when all is well and you have peace of mind – smile… Allen Togwell
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