My talent is sharing what great people like him have to offer. I love promoting people who make life a little more fun. If its a person who uses uncommon expressions, or gives voice to the thoughts that you typically wouldn't dare utter, or someone who just has a great gift of framing a situation--these are the people who make life fun. I don't think my stuff is stand-up comedy quality but I do enjoy being real. One day a few months ago I was being my usual self when I was introduced to a new worker in our front office. I like to welcome new people and make them feel like someone's interested in "WHO" they are. So I took some time to ask how she was, where she came from, how long she was going to be with us...just a few minutes of chit chat. I have an expression I use when I observe things that aren't going to well. I say, "hey, we really need to get our poop in a group!" On that day, I just happened to use that expression in front of her! She asked what I said and I repeated it...she said, "I like that!" smiled and went back to work. I said goodbye and went back to my office.
Today, that person stopped by to say final good-byes because she was only with us for a short time. She stopped by to tell me thanks for being the one individual who made her change her mind about leaving! You see, she had scheduled an appointment with her supervisor for the next day to get her removed from this temporary duty because she wasn't seeing much joy, and the job environment wasn't very fun. Hers was a fast-paced, thankless, high expectations job! She let me know that after I left, she asked her co-workers who that was that just left--they said that was Mr. Milligan. She told herself that if there were a few more Mr. Milligans in the organization, she just might be able to bear it. She picked up the phone and cancelled the meeting with her boss for the following day.I shared that with you not to brag on myself, but to let you know that it is very important to take time in your day-to-day interactions with other to smile, to say thanks, to welcome newcomers, to be empathetic and encouraging. You never know when your words and interactions with others will make the difference in another person's life that helps them better cope with a less than optimal situation. No job or boss is perfect, and the tasks we must do to earn a living aren't always fun or fulfilling. It truly is the people in your workplace who matter! Every person has a story--the one that everyone knows....and then "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say. Sometimes, a few minutes of your time is all it takes to help another feel more fully alive, relevant, useful, needed, important and worth giving it one more try before giving up.
When she shared this story with me, I wanted to cry. I felt honored...most people only hear stories about people that "made a difference" when their eulogy is being read! I sailed through the rest of my day and was encouraged myself to keep being who I am!
If this story resonates with you, I'd love to hear about how someone encouraged you or you encouraged someone else.
