This is a story, actually a horrible story that helped define a young man’s actions for decades. Today, Paul’s message, “Treat Everyone with Respect.” Here’s his story.
In 1984, I was 19 years old. I was offered my dream job on Wall Street in New York City.
Excited to start my new job, I woke up bright and early. I put on my brand-new suit, ensured my shoes were shined, and headed out. I arrived early to work. First, I checked in at the main desk, where I was directed to my new cube. Everyone that saw me said something like “Good Morning, Paul” or “Welcome to the team, Paul.” It was a really nice feeling to be so warmly welcomed.
About 30 minutes later, I headed up to the top floor, the 52 floor. The floor with the CEO. The floor with senior leaders. The floor with spectacular views of New York City. The floor with my new boss, Peter (name changed).
I checked in with Peter’s assistant. She promptly walked me to the boardroom to await Peter, as I was a few minutes early. I was immediately drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows with their breathtaking views. The sun was shining bright. The sky was deep blue. I smiled and said to myself, “today is going to be a great day.”
The door opened, I immediately rose from my chair, and smiled. Peter took about two steps into the room. He immediately looked to the right where the coffee service area was. He then promptly turned around, walked back two steps, poked his head out of the door, and yelled into the hallway, “Get me some #$%^& coffee.” I said to myself, “Did that just really happen?”
24 years later. That’s 24 years later. Still, to this day, I NEVER ask my assistant to get me coffee, even if offered, and she does.
I remember that day vividly. It is permanently etched into my psyche. Small things can and do affect us in more ways than we can imagine. And I still shudder when thinking about that defining moment in my life and early career.
While I am the CFO of a billion-dollar company, with all sorts of support personnel around me, I always, always, treat everyone with respect.
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Note: I met Paul at the Financial Executives International Summit 2008 at lunch. I presented two hands-on workshops at the FEI event — one workshop on 3 Steps to a Killer Elevator Pitch and one workshop on NetworkingSTORY (Networking to the Power of Story) (learn more about our workshops here).
My take-away: People are always observing. It is truly amazing what gets shared and what you can learn about people in such a short amount of time. Treating people with respect, following good emotional intelligence practices, inspiring teams with authentic stories, being as transparent as possible, etc. are all keys to building a strong culture with low employee turnover.
Photography Source: DepositPhotos with design changes by The Chief Storyteller®
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