Always Give People More Than What They Expect To Get.

Thank goodness for the weekend! There were two things about my week that stood out for some reason and I thought I would share them. Lucky you, right?

First, at the beginning of last week, my Admin came to me in haste and said she needed to leave, that her dad was just rushed to the emergency room. I immediately said, “Bye, let me know if there is anything you would like me to do.”

Not even two hours later she was standing at my desk telling me she was back. I did a double take, not thinking she could possibly be back already. Of course I asked if he was ok and why was she back. She ventured to tell me what was wrong, but was worried for her job and felt like she needed to be at work. I was in shock. Yes, we did just experience some layoffs, but under no circumstance should work ever come before comforting family and being with a sick loved one. Yes, I can be quite blunt, and I told her that if she didn’t leave, I would be sending her home for the day. Fortunately, I didn’t have to figure out how I would send her home, she just left.

The good thing is after about four days, her dad is at home, well, and out and about.

On Tuesday, I received a thank you card from someone that I have never even met. Weird, huh? When I read it, it was one of those feelings that gave me goose bumps. It was from my Admin’s Mom, thanking me. Here is what she wrote: “I appreciate it so much you let (Admin name here) come to be with me on Tuesday, to be with her Father. She has an awesome boss.” I had done something for someone that had impacted their life and they took the time to tell me they appreciated it. Here is what is funny. I didn’t even think twice about what I had done, I just did it. I did it, well, because that is what I would have wanted someone to do for me.

Second, was on my drive to work today. There is road construction on my usual route, so I took a way that I had never been before. Yes, some of the roads were familiar, but most I had never traveled. My mood this morning was somewhat somber, especially for a Friday, but the small, simple act that happened on my way to work changed that. I pulled up to a stoplight and diagonally to my right was a school, with a Crossing Guard. At first glance, she appeared to be waving all the traffic to hurry along. Then, as I sat there for a moment, I realized that she wasn’t hurrying traffic along, she was merely waving to every single car that went by. The longer I sat there, the happier it made me for some reason. Here was a complete stranger, trying to be friendly to as many people as she could while she did her job. You might not think it’s a big deal, or you might even question how it improved my mood, but it did. I would wager to guess that for the most part, her wave impacted few, but for those like me, it altered my entire day, in a positive manner. So to her, the Crossing Guard I will never know or meet, thank you.

Oh, and yes, as the light turned green, I found myself waving back at her, and because I wasn’t sure she saw it, I gave her a quick ‘beep, beep’ of my horn to make sure.

Here is a simple, but powerful rule: Always give people more than what they expect to get.