My Time 4 Talk by Madona Cole-Lacy

I told someone about himself the other day, and my husband who was standing right beside me was in agreement with what I had done. I told a salesperson about himself when I said to him, ” You are such a pleasant person; keep on smiling.”  His modest, if not bashful response was, “That’s all I can do.”  Yes, I have gotten into the habit of “telling people about themselves” and I am really enjoying it.  What I wanted that man to know was, that his personable demeanor had a calming effect on random strangers, including me! He needed to be acknowledged for sharing that God-given gift of his with people he encountered while on the job. I wondered whether he had ever been presented with the opportunity to celebrate his exemplary interpersonal skills which made him so perfect for the job. For the record, I knew nothing about this man besides the fact that he worked at the store I was visiting.

                               As much as I know this subject goes way beyond monetary compensation, I must admit that I walked away hoping that salesperson was being adequately compensated for a job he was so perfect for. Of great importance to me was the hope that my acknowledgement of the way he handled himself served as fuel for him to continue to use his ‘gift’ in such a positive and effortless way to touch lives. I somehow had no doubt he would connect the proverbial dots after having fully recovered from my unorthodox response to what he must have thought came to him quite naturally.

                            All too often, we are placed in the unfortunate position of responding to unruly service providers and/or their staff as we resort to lodging complaints, taking legal actions in extreme cases, or boycotting businesses.  My thinking is that as consumers, we have the ability to create a “new culture” that calls for diligently rewarding good and pleasant behavior of the deserving, at every opportunity we get. + A kind word, a smile, a nod or even a note to management will work wonders! I can just see the scale tipping all the way to the other side as potentially unpleasant workers feel motivated by those who receive an abundance of positive reinforcement for ” good behavior” from customers. This fail-proof motivational tool will not only serve as a high self-esteem booster, for service providers, it will ultimately create a wonderful atmosphere we will have all subscribed to — a great feeling for all concerned! When was the last time you told a salesperson or even a waiter “about themselves”?  Give it a try, you might just like it!

” Communicate unto the other person that which you would want him (her) to communicate unto you if your positions were reversed.”   – Aaron Goldman –

Madona Cole-Lacy M.A. Ed.

Founder: Your Creative Empowerment, Inc.       http://www.yourtime4liny.org

Program Director:  My Time Has Come      www.mytimehascome.org       http:www.twitter.com/MyTimeHasCome1

Creative Director: Madona Cole Originals.    www.madonacoleoriginals.com        https://twitter.com/MColeOriginals