This year, I traveled more than any other year since beginning my speaking and coaching business. I was in some gorgeous settings, some cutting edge businesses, and some not so beautiful settings in some pretty run down businesses. I’ve met some of the most incredibly kind people and some that were truly miserable. I’ve taught people how to become coaches, how to communicate better, how to improve their relationships, and how to stop sexually harassing each other. There hasn’t been a dull moment!
My favorite engagement of the year was in a small office in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The office itself was not glamorous and I gave my talk in the slightly unheated garage attached to the office. Their projector was too outdated to work with my equipment, so I set up my PowerPoint on my iPad and put it in front of the six participants. They also didn’t have a flip chart, so I hand wrote my flip charts on legal sized yellow pads and taped those to the desk in front of my iPad. Definitely not high tech!
My six participants sat with their winter coats on, coffee in hand, on uncomfortable folding chairs. Behind them was a huge construction truck ready to be rolled out in a moment’s notice. And yet, the warmth in that messy garage and the kindness of those six people was heartwarming. They were all polite and welcoming, offering me coffee and an extra coat if needed. All six thanked me for coming even though it was a mandatory talk for them and probably not one they were all that excited to hear.
They were surprisingly engaged in the talk and offered up helpful tips and funny comments that kept all engaged. When my talk was over, each of them thanked me personally. A few stayed back to chat with me while I packed up my belongings. What was most special about this group was how they spoke to and about each other. They all said that they loved their jobs because they really enjoyed the people they worked with. This was a group who probably didn’t make a huge salary, but yet showed such gratitude for their jobs and their co-workers.
Workplace perks are meaningless without a team of good people. #leadership #work #coworkers #values Click To TweetIt’s The People Not The Place
Admittedly, when I pulled up to their office and saw the space that I was to give my talk from, I wasn’t particularly excited. That old “judge a book by it’s cover” thing kicked into gear and I muttered to myself, “I hope this goes quickly.” Shame on me for going in with that attitude, but kudos to the group for showing me how wrong I was. We spend a lot of time at work and it’s certainly nice to have a comfortable office space, but ultimately, as this group proved to me, fancy office digs are meaningless if you don’t like the people you work with.
I’m grateful for all of the people I met this year, but these six Michigan dwellers stand out. Kind, compassionate, respectful, and good teammates made for one really wonderful work environment and one big lesson for me.
Love,
Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC