I am a college teacher so I am deeply interested in education and how it can be improved. I teach in a wonderful Business School so I am also equally interested in business operations and how they can be improved. Whether it is education or business, how can we help to make things operate better?
A dear friend of mine sent me this (slightly modified) email from one of her students this week. I thought it was “teacher as mentor” at its best.
“I remember I did well on our first test, and you wrote a comment saying that I should consider the major. While it may have been meant as a light-hearted statement, simply congratulating me on my test grade, it actually helped me out. At that time, I was really unsure of what I was going to major in at school, and as a result, what I would focus on in the future. Although I had been interested in your class, your comment actually helped me realize that it may be the right path for me, and now I plan to declare it as a major.
“I just wanted to thank you for that comment, however unimportant it may have seemed, because I would often think about it when trying to decide which direction to go in terms of my education and beyond. It was a constant reminder of my skills and interests, and I believe I have now made the right choice.”
Many of us originally became teachers because we wanted the opportunity to have a positive effect on the lives of others. Looking back over my 50+ years as a teacher, that has certainly been one of the true highlights to this career.
Therefore, I found it interesting how little the professor in the above email did and how significant the effect was. You do not have to move mountains to have a significant impact.
(a)
– The teacher took the time to notice that the student had done well on a test. The student really had done a good job.
(b)
– The teacher took a bit more time to compliment the student on those
efforts.
And then--
(c)
– The student was encouraged to take what might turn out to be a very
significant step if that person’s life.
Does it get better than that?
We all want to change the world but, usually, we are so overwhelmed with all the problems that we feel helpless. Nevertheless, whether you teach in school or work in a business or some other organization, there is one thing we can all do that will help make things better.
Pat someone on the back for a job well done.
It
is so easy and, yet, the ramifications can be enormous.
Who in this world doesn’t want a compliment, a pat on the back? “You did a good job. Thanks,” will make anyone sit up straight and smile. Trust me on that.
Unfortunately, from my vantage point, the number of pats on the back that are given out each day is miniscule. When is the last time someone did that for you?
Or, maybe more importantly, when is the last time you patted someone on the back with a compliment? Not just a quick, “Thank you.” I mean, “I saw what you did and you did it very well.”
All you have to do is:
--Be
observant. Always, be on the lookout for well
done work.
--Communicate
the compliment.
Think how much more upbeat your business organization would be if all of the people in charge gave out a pat on the back once each day rather than once a month or once a year.
No wonder so many people seem surly – humans need to be recognized for what they are doing. I think that is vastly under-appreciated.
Think how much harder your students might work if you (their teacher) found one thing in each class to compliment. Go back to your office after class and send an email to a student and simple say, “That third question today was really hard and you did an excellent job with your answer.” That will take you 10 seconds and you might literally have changed the student’s life. Even at the very least, you will make that person happy and proud and that is well worth doing. No one works harder than the person trying to get the second compliment.
Make a pledge as your small part of improving the world to pat one or more people on the back each day with a compliment.
Yes, you will have to pay attention. You will have to be aware of the people who are working hard. Then, you will have to have the nerve to say something. I would love to see every business person and every teacher take that on as a “habit activity” – something we come to do all the time as a natural part of our lives.
The world could certainly use more pats on the back. Maybe things would start to look a little brighter to all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment