I love the power of the web. Stories can fly/grow so quickly. Here’s one I came across today. Meet Curt Bramble, Utah Senate Majority Leader. He’s from the Provo area and If I remember right I hung out with some of his daughters (Timpview High School) back in the day and probably made out with them. Anyway, I digress…
So earlier this week Bramble ordered some pizza and when the delivery girl was there to drop off the pizza, Bramble freaked out when he found out that he couldn’t write a check. He pulled the whole “Do you know who I am” speech and she didn’t give a rat’s booty. Anyway, an interesting interaction ensued. Bottom line is that Bramble acted like a complete douche-face.
Funny thing is that the delivery girl had a blog. She blogged about the experience and the story has spread like wildfire in Utah. This politician is being exposed for the type of person he really is: a jerk.
I hope the blog post is still there. Read it here. It’s a good read. She’s got a sharp wit and a lot to say about the dude. It’s pretty funny.
The whole Bramble fiasco reminds me of a story I once read about Bill Bradley, shared by Harvey Mackey. Mackey is a syndicated columnist who writes on business (my dad always cut those columns out and gave them to me. Thanks dad). Below is a story i’ll never forget and a lesson i’ve hopefully learned.
U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley used to tell a story about an experience he had while ordering dinner at a Philadelphia restaurant.
The busboy came up to him and put a dinner roll and a pat of butter down before him. The New Jersey Democrat looked at the busboy and asked for another pat of butter.
“One pat of butter to a customer, sir,” replied the busboy.
Bradley looked at him. “Don’t you know who I am?” he said, to which the busboy replied, “No, who?”
Bradley proceeded to rattle off his credentials: “My name is Bill Bradley. I graduated at the top of my class from Princeton University … Rhodes scholar … an All-American in basketball … drafted by the New York Knicks … elected U.S. senator.”
The busboy replied, “Those are very impressive credentials, Mr. Bradley, but don’t you know who I am?”
“No, who?”
“I’m the man in charge of the butter.”
It’s a great story with a great lesson. Treat the pizza girl the same way you’d treat your campaign’s top financial contributors. I wonder how Curt Bramble feels now. I’d imagine pretty bad.
Harvey Mackay puts it best:
When you are good to others, you are best to yourself. I make it my business to get to know the managers and servers of the top restaurants in town, just as I do the bell captains, and so on. Similarly, I let them get to know me. It doesn’t take a $100 tip for someone to remember you. But I will guarantee you, the minute you are rude, demanding, arrogant or otherwise dismissive, they will remember you — for all the wrong reasons. Don’t even think about asking for a second pat of butter then. From my perspective, there are way too many people who are so arrogant, they have chapped lips from repeatedly kissing the mirror.
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