“The easy thing and the right thing are not always the same thing.”
— Ocean Palmer
A client recently thanked me for a good week of work by sending me on a weekend trip to a top-rated safari camp in western Kenya’s sprawling Masai Mara preserve. From the time our bush plane touched down until the moment it rumbled down the dusty dirt runway and lifted back toward Nairobi three days later, the experience was as good as I could hope for from a service-centric business. Except for one very disturbing incident.
Companies are collections of people ostensibly chasing a common goal. In the case of the camp, Mara Intreprids, everyone I interacted with seemed to understand and embrace the importance of managing the customer’s emotional experience.
Warmly greeted by name upon disembarking my plane onto the red dirt of Ol Kiombo airstrip, a massive Cape buffalo grazing nearby, it was a short, bouncy five-minute Range Rover ride to camp. Waiting was a refreshing wet towel and glass of delicious, fresh-squeezed juice. My brief indoctrination session was scripted, thorough, and professional. Everything I needed to know to navigate the quiet wooded campus was pleasantly explained in minutes. Any company would be hard-pressed to make a better first impression, much less one way out in the middle of western Kenya nowhere. Since a person’s first impression and last impression tend to shape most of our total impression about a business, little did I realize how severely these two would collide three days later.
Mara Intrepids assigns specific employees to look after its guests and mine were top-shelf professionals. Julius was my restaurant server and we quickly shared laughs and friendship. The same held true with my thrice-daily safari driver Silas, who took different routes to maximize unforgettable viewing opportunities. Silas politely answered every question about the flora and fauna I could think up to ask him.
Three times a day Silas bounced me around the sprawling Masai Mara, seeking and photographing Kenya’s remarkable big game animals. Back in camp, three times a day I was treated to the finest succession of meals I have eaten in a very long time. My dining visits were so delicious I asked to meet the man behind the magic, Chef Tom. As with Julius and Silas, Chef Tom and I struck up a quick, easy-going friendship too. Mara Intrepids is lucky to have these men. Individually and collectively all three represent the brand in exemplary ways. This culture of positive, professional service seemed to permeate the entire support staff, all the way down to those whose work was performed in the shadows rather than front and center.
It is customary to tip service staff in Africa and workers rely on tips to pay the bills. I took care of Julius, Silas, and Chef Tom. I also thanked Stephen, who looked after my beautiful, meticulously maintained tent.
At checkout, I reported to the front desk to clear my bill. The woman there was stern and all business, which I chalked up to the important job of handing the cash. On the wall to the left of the payment counter hung a large wooden box marked “TIPS.” Here safari guests placed gratitude currency so the infrastructure support team — the men and women whose hard, less glamorous work is critical to maximizing the client experience — would receive a share of incentive money too.
The checkout woman gave me a stern lecture, almost menacing in tone, about tipping. When she saw the size of the tip I was getting ready to insert in the wall box, she stopped me. “Put it in this envelope,” she said. “I will walk it over to administration.”
This, I knew, was a scam. She was practiced and cold-blooded about it but I did not wish to create a scene. I did as instructed and watched her slip the envelope beneath the counter. Into her purse, I assumed.
Leaving that day was bittersweet. My first impression of the place had been terrific, the people I met top-shelf, and then my interaction before departure was so distasteful I found the contrast between the good of the place and the back-end thievery bitterly unpalatable.
I would never return, nor recommend, a place that condoned stealing from its lowest paid employees. On the other hand, everyone except the greedy woman had honored and respected the brand, the guests, and each other.
This event created a perplexing crossroad. Do I say nothing and let it go, writing smiling thievery off to “Africa being Africa?” Or do I mention something to a person of trust and hope he or she chooses to deal with it?
I wrote to one of my connections and explained my position. By stealing from the workers, the woman stole from me. I have been conned before and surely will be stolen from again. But stealing from good people, co-workers who have so little, was morally wrong. I could not simply shrug my shoulders or fail to advance my ire.
My message was elevated to manager Kevin Muendo, who gave fair audience to the accused. After due process, the woman was relieved of her job. This was a bittersweet outcome. On one hand I do not live my life seeking to cause people to lose their jobs. On the other hand — when confronted with a situation where doing something is more difficult than doing nothing — I will do something if taking action is the right thing to do. I feel better and sleep better.
Not everything in life is convenient, so sometimes the right thing and the easy thing are not the same thing. What we do when those situations arise helps define who we are. Do the right thing; and trust that others will do the same.
Having studied the Mara Intrepids team in action, and having seen how so many at all levels prioritize ethics, effort, and integrity above personal gain, I would gladly return. I would also give the camp a “strong recommend” to anyone searching for a wonderful experience among the giants of the savannah.
Africa crawls into a man or woman’s heart and the Mara Intrepids is a fine place for that to happen. You will be surrounded by a dedicated team who, when faced with doing the right thing or the easy thing, will do the right thing.
“Jambo!” is Swahili for hello and at Mara Intrepids you will hear it often, from just about everyone you meet. Give the place a visit and make sure to reciprocate. This is an easy place to do so.