Doing the impossible

Anyone who has ever worked a day on film set knows that at some point you'll come across a task that needs doing, but is nearly impossible to execute by conventional standards.  The hallmark of a good producer is finding a way to get it done or "do the impossible" (so to speak).

I saw an excellent illustration of this while performing some holiday shopping:

I was buying a winter jacket at Barney's New York, but they didn't have the correct size.  They *did* have the right size at a store in Boston, MA and offered to ship it.  I told them I was headed out of town for Christmas, and they offered to overnight it and said it would arrive by tomorrow morning (Saturday).  Great.  Done deal.

So I open up my email, and I get the tracking number, and... yep... you guessed it: scheduled delivery was pushed back due to the holidays.  So I called up FedEx and asked if they could upgrade my shipping... they gave me the usual "sorry, there's nothing we can do about it" speech.

So I called up Barney's and asked to speak to the shipping department.  After a few minutes I was transferred to the Operations Manager.  Immediately, I could tell by the tone of his voice that this was a man who knew what he was doing.  I explained the situation.  His response?  "Call you back in five minutes."  Five minutes later I get a phone call:  my package is scheduled for delivery tomorrow morning.  In addition, he's going to follow up with FedEx NY in the AM, and call me back with a delivery timetable.

Now, THAT, folks, is service.  And boy, was it a pleasure to interact with someone who has a passion for getting things done.  I imagine he's developed connections with the FedEx operations line, knew the right person to talk to, and simply knew how to make it work.  That is exactly how a great producer works.

I tip my hat to Barney's NY for helping me cut through some holiday red tape.


Merry Christmas everyone!