At some point or another,
we have all dropped a dime to bitch about bad service, complain about a store employee, or a product we disliked, or whatever.
Ever call someone to say they were doing a good job?
I get a lot of those calls. The previous types, I mean. Fifteen, twenty years ago, I started getting thos3e calls- usually customer stupidity, but sometimes a legitimate complaint about a machine, or whatever.
One time, maybe ten years back, I got a call saying “hey. Thanks. You came and fixed my stuff, and it now works better, and I’m happy”.
From that moment on, from that phone call on, I have made a point of- at least once a week but USUALLY a LOT more often, of telling people when they are doing a good job. Waitresses, cashiers, suppliers, pastors, friends.
Try it. See what happens. See if your holidays aren’t a little brighter. And then keep it up, for the rest of your life.
15 comments Og | Uncategorized
I’ve always given praise when due.My old boss used to call it “giving a person an atta boy”. And,it does so much more good than only being critical.I sure wish that more people would try it.
Toni
Thanks, Og. You just made me think.
Great idea! I try to do it to those around me, but never thought about the people who wait on me in food service an every other place I go into, when I do go.
It takes so little time and effort but can make such a difference to someone.
Should be a national campaign.
Yep. I agree.
While working on my first construction site after college, we had a tech from the testing agency who did a good job. The superintendent and I sent an e-mail to the owner/boss at the testing agency to tell him that he was doing a very good job, very reliable and good to work with. Especially compared to the other tech they sent.
The owner/boss took the e-mail to heart and gave the tech a $1/hour raise retroactive back to the beginning of the summer. A couple days later, the tech came in and thanked us for contacting his boss.
It’s always worth acknowledging those who do a good job. You never know what a difference it can make.
Been doing that for years. On the best of days I’m a surly curmudgeon, but I give credit where credit is due when service is good or a job is done well.
In fact just today I told someone I’ve been mentoring for the past couple of years that she’s been doing a fabulous job and I couldn’t be happier about her progress. She positively beamed.
This place I’m working now- it’s almost a fire-able (?) offence to say something good about a coworker.
I agree, Og. I arrived at the same idea in the same way – when someone complimented me on my work. I also try to refer to service people by their name if they are wearing a name tag.
“but he’s being paid to do a good job?”
And he wondered why his team was hostile to him.
Really – an idea to live by. Thanks for the reminder, Og. :)
Fck ’em. They get paid to do a “good job”. A “good job” is the minimum expectation that any customer or boss should have.
Do a Great job and you may rate an attaboy.
Do a Fantastic job and you may rate a slap on the back and a free lunch.
Keep doing that Good Job and you’ll get your ass fired.
Anytime someone significantly exceeds my expectations, or manages to do a good job in the face of significant challenges, absolutely.
And it may be surprising to some, but it happens all the time.
Yep. My expectations are, unfortunately, low in most cases – that way I’m not disappointed too often.
When someone does something above the minimum, it’s surprising – again, unfortunately so. But, it’s worth a bigger tip, or mention to the boss, because if we don’t encourage good work, it won’t happen.
Here’s another thing – when interacting with someone (especially food service, convenience store clerk, or other low-paying jobs), be friendly and SMILE. Treat people like they’re people, and it’ll surprise you how much extra they’ll do.
Especially when most other folks treat them like dirt.
This website online can be a stroll-through for all the data you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.