Make Someone Believe they Matter

Well, this daily statement is starting to take some shape. When I decided to do this I knew that I would get something out of it, but putting it on the whiteboard instead of post it is giving this personal accountability some community impact. I am going to admit deciding to write these statements in big letters on a white board like a sort of billboard for the office was a little scary for me. However, I stepped outside my comfort zone and did it.

Not knowing exactly how everyone would react, has made for some interesting activity around my office. I have some whom I have talked to about what I am doing and they come and see what the phrase is every day, maybe talk to me about it. Other folks will step in and read it and leave. Yesterday I had someone in my office for a conference call. The whole call they were throwing one of the toy foam balls I have at my desk against the wall above the white board. By the end of the call he was shining a little sunshine at the host of the call. when I commented that it is always nice to acknowledge something good, he nodded and pointed at my white board.

Now I am not saying this is some sort of movement, but just maybe putting the idea of community and caring about something bigger than yourself out there in the world, it might get caught by someone else...

Someone asked me today "How do you make someone believe they matter?" I suppose that thought is true. Perhaps it should have said tell someone they matter, but that wasn't exactly what I was going for. The idea for me was to prompt me to look at each person and think about how to make them feel like what they are doing for me, around me, for the business matters to the whole. In the course of a business day it is very easy to feel like the work you are doing doesn't actually impact the greater success or failure of the business. When in fact each person in a business or a community does own a piece, small, large or otherwise in the overall success of failure of the business.

So how do you use your moments in that person's life when they are with you to recognize that? That is a challenge that you must determine how you will resolve. I can tell you that when you have it written on your white board and they are standing in front of you, it can feel mechanical, but I fall back on the fact that in a face to face if you are genuine it doesn't matter what is written on your white board.

I think you are starting to see a theme here. People are required for you to have success in life and work. If you don't take time to recognize that you may find the going difficult. With that in mind, I would like to thank my family for supporting me in my quirky endeavors to always try and make myself a better person. I would like to thank my friends for just that, being my friends! I am honored to have all of you in my life and no matter what you did today, yesterday or tomorrow you matter to me and have a profound impact on my life everyday.