Size Doesn’t Matter
Brains over brawn
This is the transcript of an actual radio conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995. The Radio conversation was released by the Chief of Naval Operations on Oct. 10, 1995……….Believe it ? …..
US Ship: Please divert your course 0.5 degrees to the south to avoid a collision.
CND reply: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
US Ship: This is the Captain of a US Navy Ship. I say again, divert your course.
CND reply: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course!
US Ship: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CORAL SEA*, WE ARE A LARGE WARSHIP OF THE US NAVY. DIVERT YOUR COURSE NOW!!
CND reply: This is a lighthouse. Your call.
It’s an urban myth, the event and conversation never took place. It did on the other hand make me think about the correlation between small and large companies; in our case, refrigeration and HVAC service providers.
Why bigger isn’t always better
I was doing a HVAC service at a local RV sales facility and as I walked through the break room and was on the way up the ladder to the roof I read this story. Being a service technician I spend a lot of time thinking in the solace of my duties whether I’m on a roof, in a refrigeration/machine room of some kind, or driving. I began to reflect on how this story related to us as a smaller, independent company.
I took away from it that even though large companies exist by presence, sometimes the little guy leaves the realization that small can be more effective.
Small but mighty, it’s our reputation that got us to where we are. Our customers rely on the fact they get honesty and quality in any job we do. It’s how we continue on to keep our name and reputation solid and our phones ringing with new clients encountering HVAC problems.
We hope you found the story entertaining and gained some perspective on independent experts everywhere who are providing superior and personal service every day, despite their size.
