For Lenny Hirschfeld, selling shoes to a customer that that didn’t fit was an unethical act. What is it in your work?

My father, Leonard Hirschfeld, ran a clothing store which, by the way, has been in operation for over 104 years.

He could put up with a customer buying a necktie from him that didn’t match a suit, or he’d let it slide if you didn’t buy a new belt even though your mid-section said otherwise.

But for him, putting shoes on a person that didn’t fit was an ethical breach.

He would say: “If your shoes don’t fit, your feet will hurt. And if your feet hurt, then your mood will change. And who knows how you’ll treat people if your mood has changed.”

So if you sold shoes for my father, you learned to fit them properly.

That was the standard. Many clothiers may not have felt that way. But he did, and it was one of the things that helped his business stand out.

What are the standards in your work? Can you tell stories of how you set the bar, and in doing so, how you stand out?

If you’re looking for a job, think through times when you acted in a way where you set the standard of excellence. Prospective employers will be impressed by someone who has thought about those things, as that can be a differentiator in a competitive market.

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