A Teaching Moment at the Shoeshine Stand…and Two Conferences

I love to have my shoes shined at the airport. In a world where most people are wearing sneakers and air-travel clothing has skidded on, beyond casual, I realize I am an anomaly. Having this service performed has increasingly been a challenge. The Cleveland Hopkins Airport shoeshine stand is essentially closed until long after the morning flights are gone and prior to the return of evening flights, so an open and inviting stand in the Denver airport was a welcome sight.

I was wearing a pair of olive green, Spanish made Mezlan slip-ons. I asked the gentleman if he felt he could do something with the odd color. The woman at the next chair, delivering a killer shine to a pair of tan boots owned by another customer, could not help diverting her eyes from my green shoes. The supervisor, who escorted me to the chair, also gathered around my odd shoes. Whispers abound. With a lifetime of wearing “odd” shoes, I did not find this attention unusual. People typically appreciate and admire my unusual shoes, even if they are unwilling to wear the same.

After giving my temporary neighbor a few last-minute tips on caring for his newly refurbished boots, the other shoeshine artist placed herself at my feet. She immediately took control of the shine while the supervisor and other shiner looked on. She asked the others if they had green polish. A feverish search ensued. Not finding what she wanted, she told the first guy to deal with my soles while she ran to the other shoeshine stand to grab green polish.

Upon her return, she got to work, but she did not leave her coworker or supervisor in the dust. She explained that she was mixing the green with a dot of brown to achieve the right tone. She defined how she applied the mix, how she buffed the polish and how to properly finish-buff the softer Mezlan leather. She conducted a master class on shoe shining, but she did not do it in a vacuum. At each step, she narrated her efforts. Amidst our casual chit-chat, she said, “We can all learn with each new challenge.”

Over the last two weeks I traveled to the American Lighting Association (ALA) and the Interior Design Society (IDS) annual conferences to deliver educational presentations and I hope I was as effective a teacher as this young woman. Her summation was very similar to the goal of each conference. Yes, there was talk about family, vacations and golf scores, but the crux of the conversation revolved around design and lighting. Ideas were shared, challenges were aired, problems were solved and “doing better” was the takeaway. Like the trio of shoeshine professionals, when information is shared it raises the level of excellence for the entire organizations.

If I owned a company, I would have hired this woman straightaway. She would and will be an asset wherever she works, or whatever company she forms, but that is not the point here. She could have easily buried her head and performed her task. Instead, she talked through the process and checked to insure each step was understood. Head nodding confirmed her efforts. Her messaging was the goals of each conference. Gather likeminded people, pull them into groups and teach them something that will raise their value to their consumers. The ALA and IDS Conferences achieved those goals and were worth attending for these very reasons. Attendance should be considered at both in 2025.

Next time I pass through DEN, I plan on wearing my red or purple shoes and hope there is no flight delay! I await a new lesson.