I'd like to talk about Ravi, the barber who's cut my hair for about ten years in Kathmandu. His shop is tiny, just two chairs and a mirror, squeezed between a phone shop and a tea stall near my old college.
I know he's excellent at his job for several reasons. The most obvious is the queue. Even though there are three newer, fancier salons on the same street, there are always people waiting on his bench, and some of them travel across the city. Then there's the result. He never needs a photo or a long explanation; you say "the usual" and he remembers exactly what that means, even if you haven't been in for three months. And he's fast without being careless. A haircut takes him about fifteen minutes, but I've never once had an uneven side.
Why is he so good? I think it's a mixture of experience and attitude. He's been cutting hair since he was sixteen, so his hands just know what to do. But plenty of people have experience and are still average. What makes Ravi different is that he genuinely cares. He watches how your hair grows and suggests small changes, like leaving it slightly longer at the front because of the way it falls. He keeps his tools spotless and sharpens his razors every morning. He also listens. He'll chat if you want to chat, but if you're tired, he can tell, and he just works quietly.
I think he shows that being good at a job isn't about how important the job is; it's about how seriously you take it.