Yeah we get it, everything we do is marketing ourselves yadda yadda yadda. But what do you do in awkward situations where there is a bit of tension built up? You know, those situations where it could end up good or bad? How do you get the other person on your side and trusting you?
Joke around with them. Humor relaxes people and says “hey, I’m not nearly as bad as you think I am”.
Example 1: I play hockey, I usually hate refs in hockey, I usually yell at refs in hockey, not this time. For the first time ever in my life that I can remember, while sitting in the penalty box, quite angry at the ref to say the least, he made a joke about what I did to get the penalty. I had no choice to laugh and to start liking him.
Example 2: The Pastor at my church has a great sense of humor, after the service you can’t help but smile and laugh with him while he makes his remarks as everyone is leaving the sanctuary. You feel a different connection with him because he makes you laugh.
You don’t have to be a comedic sensation, that’s not what I’m after, but if you can smile and make a comment that gets a laugh out of me, we’re already connecting on a different level. A more humorous, enjoyable, trusting level.
Photo Credit: Michael Grunow
Recently I have been asking a lot of people how they like their job and it didn’t surprise me that the vast majority said they were unsatisfied. The more I asked, poked and prodded about their career, the more positive it became. Then it dawned on me, sure there are some better careers than others, but our generation enjoys complaining. Let me explain.
If you have what most people would call a “boring” job (accounting, office job, the majority of the crown corporations) you probably have great security and make an above average wage. You complain about how board you are at work because they block you from using Facebook and Twitter but your paid four weeks of holidays and have “earned days off” so it’s worth it for now.
If you have what most people would call an “amazing” job (entrepreneur, creative director, manager at a small company) you probably have great flexibility and actually enjoy the majority of the work. You complain about how you’re underpaid and how it must be nice to collect a check every two weeks. You struggle but your passionate and an office job just isn’t your style.
So why must we always complain? Our generation is never satisfied, we want the greener grass and the internet has only made it easier to see the grass, touch it, tweet about it and then determine if we like it or not. Is their a solution? It’s an opinion so let me know if you disagree.
You need to stop comparing yourself to others. If you tell me how much money you make it’s because your job sucks and thats the only good thing about it, save it, I don’t care. Instead of comparing and complaining ever try making your job better? Possibly making work “fun” for a change? I know sounds weird doesn’t it.
Finally, I think managers in general need training on the “generation Y” employee; their expectations, their motivations and what they want out of life. Complaining gets you no where, start thinking of innovative solutions to making your job better, what have got to lose?
When a cab driver goes out of his or her way to make the trip more enjoyable do you tell them how much you appreciated it? When someone holds the door for you, do you say “gee, thanks a lot!”
Too many times we have positive experiences at the expense of someone else and we never tell them. Why? Maybe we’re scared, maybe we think it will mean nothing, maybe it has never been brought to your attention until now.
I had teacher in grade eleven that told us;
“If someone ever does something nice for you, you should always tell them thank you, otherwise they may not know how they made you feel and may not ever do it again.”
We all like to be appreciated so why not show others when we are appreciative? Even a small compliment on someone’s hair can go a long way, but generally speaking, our society doesn’t hand out compliments very easily. But why not?
So how do you start? The next person you see with a bright pair of shoes on or a finely tailored suit, walk up to them and say, “Wow! I sure like those shoes, they look wonderful!” Then just walk away. You can be sure you just made their day. My favorite is the little old ladies, I think they are just the cutest when you give them a compliment. So go on try it out, and let me know how it goes.
In Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, he talks about how New York reduced it’s crime rate by a substantial amount in the 1990’s by implementing some simple yet very powerful tactics. One of those was to keep the Subways clean. Based on the concept developed by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in a 1982 article titled Broken Windows, by eliminating the small offenses (such as a broken window) it is much more difficult to commit the larger more serious ones.
In January of 2007 Maclean’s magazine wrote an article titled Canada’s Worst Neighborhood which described the North Central Regina neighborhood. Since then many changes have come about for the better but there is still much work to be done. Here’s my thought experiment for the day, it’s now your job to let me know if it’s feasible or not.
- High school kids are looking for jobs
- Neighborhoods need work to be done but the majority of home owners can not afford to pay professionals
- Considering the broken window theory, if we made neighborhoods look good they would be less prone to serious crime
If someone started a non-profit organization supported by the city or donations, these low skilled laborers could learn to paint, fix fencing, basic landscaping, simple carpentry, and gardening. Having these teams of workers going from yard to yard throughout the central area for the two summer months could help immensely in the long run. Ensuring the work was of a certain standard these mobile work camps would provide jobs, teach teens new skills, and help our communities where they need it most. The only thing missing is someone to start and run this program. Thoughts?
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