CHAPTER 9

Value-in-Action Stories

Just about every story you tell about a disaster with a cable company, plumber, electrician, or other contractor could be considered a Value-in-Action story. The same goes for air travel stories. These tend to be disaster stories that profile selfish or apathetic values, and we tell them so often that we have a bad habit of playing the “Can you top this?” game.

Consider that Derrick the plumber came to my house on a Saturday morning an hour after I called. He had his young son in tow, and they were on their way to a soccer game. Even so, Derrick took the time to fix a leak in my guest bathroom because my mom was coming to visit on Sunday. He went above and beyond the call of duty. He demonstrated values of respect, ...

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