If you admire a quality or characteristic about someone, tell them!
I can pinpoint 1 instance in my career that truly transformed my approach to how I interacted with people on a daily basis.
Michael Miller was a mentor to me when I was at First Supply.
In one of our visits in Madison I was sitting at his desk and he said something along the line of: “Neal, you have an energy and presence about you every time you walk into a room. People want to be around you, visit with you, and hear from you. You have a way about you that brings people together. You need to utilize that energy, presence, friendliness, and your positivity even more than what you do because it resonates with people.”
That small instance of praise changed me.
I became more confident every time our company had large gatherings.
I made sure I didn’t shove myself into a corner where only a few people would be able to approach me.
I did my best to seek out people I wanted to talk to.
And I made sure to lean into my positivity in my interactions every day, even when situations were tough or the company was going through changes.
His words helped me to have a behavioral shift, and I saw an immediate difference. I soon was being brought in on more strategic conversations and managers across the company sought my advice.
I think back to that moment. What if Mike had never said that to me?
How much longer would it have taken me to figure out that I had that ability or gift?
If I didn’t hear those words and made some changes when I did, would I have had the same opportunities in my career?
I don’t know the answer to those questions.
But what I do know, is that all of us can ignite this in someone else.
When someone has a “unique way” about them that is incredible, tell them.
If they are really good at something, do your best to explain how you see them positively impacting others because they might not always see it themselves.
Week 4 of 52
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