Today is Tuesday, so this post is on positive personal impact.
I subscribe to Kevin Eikenberry’s Power Quotes Plus. Five days a week, I get an inspiring quote delivered to my inbox. Often, I find that these quotes have uncanny timing. Yesterday’s quote from Leo Buscaglia -- “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – is a good case in point.
I was thinking about what I was going to post about positive personal impact just minutes before I opened and read it. Once I read Mr. Buscaglia’s thoughts I had the idea for this post. Kindness is a great way to make a positive personal impact.
We live in a fast paced, hard edged world. These days, it seems that everybody is running everywhere and in this haste and confusion, we often neglect to take the time to be human. We aren’t kind. I’m not saying that we are intentionally unkind; we just are not kind to one another.
I’m sitting on an airplane as I write this. The flight attendant has just finished her service. Flight attendants have a hard job. I know because Cathy, my wife, retired last year after 36 years as a flight attendant. I was watching how passengers interacted with the flight attendant this morning. When she asked me what I wanted to drink, I said “may I have a glass of sparkling water, please?” The guy next to me said “coffee”. The guy across the aisle said “coffee black, orange juice, no ice”.
This is an example of what I was talking about when I said we live in a fast paced, hard edged world. One of the guys I mentioned was working on his computer, the other was reading a book. They’re probably pretty nice people, but they spoke to the flight attendant in today’s short hand – "coffee black, orange juice, no ice". They used the minimum amount of words they could to communicate their wants – and they did it without looking up from their book and computer.
I looked at the flight attendant, smiled, and said “may I have a glass of sparkling water, please?” It took me about five seconds to do so – and I was able to get right back to another blog post I was writing.
Hopefully, my smile, my kind words did a little bit to brighten up the flight attendant’s day. Maybe I didn’t, but at least I tried. And that’s the point. You can enhance your personal impact by being intentionally kind – not just to people who can do something for you, but to everyone you meet.
A few months ago, I was in a meeting with a potential client. This guy had just gotten a big promotion. We were chatting in his office and he reminded me of an event that happened almost 20 years ago. At that time, I was working for the company where he works. I had a fairly senior job, and he had just been hired. I was going to dinner with one of my colleagues. He was leaving the building with us and heard us discussing where we were going to go for dinner. I looked at him and said “would you like to join us?” He said that he couldn’t go that day – he had a young family and needed to get home.
He told me that he always remembered what he thought of as an exceptional kindness – a spur of the moment invitation to a long ago, and quite forgotten dinner. He also went on to say, that it was the reason he and I were discussing some potential business. He said “I was just a young guy. Most guys at your level didn’t even know who I was, let alone ask me to join you for a dinner, but you did. I promised myself that I would act like you when I moved up the ranks.”
Truth be told, I don’t even remember that event. However, it is in keeping with how I try to live my life. I prefer to be inclusive, rather than exclusive. Of course, I invited him to join us – to my way of thinking, it would have been rude not to. Without even realizing it, I made a positive personal impact on someone who is now a client, just by a small act of caring and a kind word.
The common sense point here: be kind, it only takes a few seconds more that being brusque. Two things will happen – you’ll feel better about yourself, and you’ll make a positive personal impact. And, positive personal impact is an important key to success in your life and career.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense. Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open. Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.
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