What’s Your Impact?

Jon Martens, PTMP

Walker Consultants

Parking is a people business. Every day, we have multiple opportunities to interact with people as they navigate our parking systems. Sometimes the small stuff we do has a bigger impact than we think. It could be a stressful situation when a patron lost their ticket and they do not know what to do, helping someone find their car, or trying to navigate a new permit system.

I remember one of my first opportunities to help an older gentleman find a missing vehicle. I was focused on the make, model, color, and year, and what time they came in. I figured I could find it in a jiff. After driving with him through the garage I asked more questions and at some point, he pulled the ticket out of his pocket. He was in the wrong garage! Rather than trying to explain where to go, I just took him to the right garage! The next time I had an opportunity to help, my first question was to see the ticket…

Other ways we can have an impact are simply by listening and being an encourager. Take time to listen to folks at all levels of the organization. Celebrate success and let people know you notice them. Years ago, a company installed a new parking system based on our specifications. I observed testing at eachlane of equipment before accepting the system. They did great, passing with flying colors! I had previously evaluated several other new installations and always found some issues that needed to be addressed before opening to the public. (This is why we test!) Up to this point, this was the smoothest testing I had ever observed, so I took the time to write the lead technician, letting him know I appreciated their team’s hard work and that it was the best test I had experienced to date.

My encouragement was not required or expected. I knew it was appreciated at the time, but it wasn’t until after more than ten years that I ran into this person again, now working at another company on another project, and I learned my message had been printed, signed by all the project team members, framed, and put on display in their office. Wow! Honestly, it was humbling, and a big reminder that gratitude and recognition can mean a lot. I had no idea and honestly, had long forgotten about that letter. My older self is very happy that my younger self took the time to do that.

So, the next time you interact with your patrons, staff, suppliers, or consultants, remember you have an opportunity to leave an impact. You never know how much it may be appreciated until years later!