I flew to Jacksonville, Florida yesterday to meet with a new client: 1,662 miles round trip, four flights, two airlines, 22 hours. It was a long day.

While traveling though, I had a great experience, but not with either of the airlines or even one of the 12 flight attendants I encountered.

My great experience lasted about 14 seconds in, of all places, the line to get through security in Detroit Metro Airport.

I didn’t catch his name (I really wish I had thought to), but the T.S.A. officer who checked my boarding pass and driver’s license could not have been more genuinely friendly or shown more care about our quick exchange if he had tried!

It was amazing. This guy completes the same mundane task at least a thousand times per shift, meeting people who are often rushed or grumpy. In that sense, his job is like millions of other employees across the country, maybe even those in your company. The difference is he made the decision to turn every customer encounter into a remarkable shining moment in each person’s day. Wow!

Remember, I’m writing about an anonymous T.S.A. agent here, not the major airlines that may spend tremendous sums of money to say they provide a great customer experience. The problem with that type of message is that it’s not rooted in truth. Providing service that you’ll tell your friends about is not part of airline DNA, so any message that says they do is quickly understood to be lip service by anyone who’s flown.

Genuine, repeatable customer service excellence is based on an authentic desire to serve and please each individual person you call a customer. When you reach that wonderful mindset as a company, people will willingly and enthusiastically spread the word about your company for you, and new customers will find their own way to your door.