Reflection

My wife started a garden last year.  Just your basics like tomatoes, peppers, and a few other little herbs.  We ended up with a killer crop of tomatoes and were giving them away like crazy.  There was an elderly gentlemen, Richard, who lived behind us who sat in his screened in porch most evenings.  One day while my wife was out there she took our daughter over there and gave him a bunch of tomatoes from the garden.

She didn’t think much of it but one day some of his out of town relatives were over and saw us outside.  They came over and introduced themselves and we were talking about the garden.  They mentioned how Richard told them all about the nice girl that gave him tomatoes.

In May we learned that Richard had passed away.  We never knew his last name and honestly do not read the obituaries very often (if at all).  Richard had suffered from some symptoms of Alzheimer’s and many times when we talked to him we were re-introducing ourselves or keeping things to small talk; weather, kids, etc.

Tonight I was out mowing the lawn when I saw someone over working on the house.  There is a fence bordering about 3/4 of our backyard that is starting to fall over.  I went over and talked to Richard’s son-in-law about it.  As we were talking he mentioned how Richard had told him about the tomatoes my wife gave him.

When I told my wife she was really touched by it.  She never realized what an impression that would make.

Day-to-day we never know what little gestures may have a big impact on people we come into contact with.  Things you do that just seem like part of the job (or what you should be doing) can be the difference between a customer and partner or someone who won’t be coming back again anytime soon.  If you are on the front lines you will become that face for your organization and it will be your actions that can make a difference.

A simple lesson, perhaps over-emphasized, but a good reminder I think.

Update – My wife and I talked about this before she went to work out.  When she came up she drafted her post and then went and read mine.  The similarities were a little crazy to her.  Give her post a read.  It’s the same story but her perspective adds to what I posted. (I promise we did not collude on these at all!)

You read the post title and undoubtedly someone out there thought "Great, this is one of those guru guys who listens to the audio tapes that tell him how thinking good thoughts can make you rich."  The answer to one part is, yes, I have read and listened to some of that material, however, I do not think simply thinking positive can make you rich. It will probably make you feel better about your finances but it won't increase them.  If it did work we would definitely see a lot more people trying it because as it was so eloquently put in Way of the Gun regarding money: "… is a motive with a universal adapter."

What I'm really after is more of a half-full versus empty mentality.  In my first 'regular' session of LLF (mind you there is nothing 'regular' about any of them) we were asked to read some articles on the future and outlooks on various things like wars, resources, etc.  Quite honestly it was very bleak.  As a father it was a little tough to read all that and have a lot of hope for what our children will have to solve.  But one of the other attendees really blew us away with his spin on what he saw.

He said he didn't feel sorry for his kids; he said he was excited for them because they have a lot of opportunity to make things better.

That really made me feel pretty crummy for feeling all sorry for my kids.  Yes, the world has problems; lots of them.  But that really translates into real opportunities for people to make a difference.

Think about that in the context of your own organization.  Very few people I know can say their organization is trouble free.  In fact, there are more issues plaguing organizations than we talk about.  Taking the spin above, what that really means is that you have that much opportunity to make things better.

One thing I have learned is to ask questions and never, ever assume when it comes to the pulse of your organization.  You can assume your way right into a black-hole of negativity if you aren't careful.  This is especially easy if you always run with the same click. 

I have been on project teams where the negative vibes started to outshine the good things we accomplished.  That is a very dangerous situation when it comes to your team's and your own reputation.  I even went as far as stating out loud that the team had to drop the negativity.  While venting is needed, chronic negativity does not solve problems.

When it comes to staying positive around the workplace make sure you have a group of trusted advisors who have a different perspective than your own.  Often times for those of us 'in the trenches' we can't see above the next hill.  Having trusted advisors at the same level may not always offer enough variety in perspective.

Quick tips:

• When it comes to the rumor mill – talking about it longer than 2 minutes is speculation. Cut it off before the rumors get worse or you start to believe it.
• On project teams try to keep the pulse; if it's too negative bring it up.  Outsiders will notice and it will give you a reputation.
• Think in terms of challenges and opportunities.  Problems are things you complain about.  Challenges need solutions and opportunities provide growth.
• Find perspective – from someone else or challenge your own mental models.  Anything to get you out of your comfort zone.
• Never assume!