We did it every year. We were snowbirds. We went to Florida with the kids to celebrate “spring break.”
When the house wasn’t already filled with other snowbirds who called first, my husband’s parents would host us. “Granny,” as she refers to herself, had the skin of a woman 30 to 40 years younger.
This is not your ordinary granny who makes cheesy potatoes, Jello salad, and bundt cakes. She’s a health nut.
This is a woman who eats … well, nobody really knows what she eats. My best attempt at a description would be bee pollen-filled organic sprouted flaxseed topped with seaweed powder with a side of enzyme supplement over organic avocados. Not really—but close.
She boasts she has NEVER eaten at a fast-food restaurant, making her the only human I know who can say that with a straight face.
Imagine her disgust when every year, every morning while there, my kids would wake up at her house demanding that we head to Waffle House.
The Waffle House is a Southern phenomenon. We didn’t have them in Minneapolis.
Granny begged, Granny pleaded, “Please, let me make you a healthy breakfast.” But no, the kids demand the food that makes our aortas gurgle.
Why do they demand Waffle House? Because the food is extraordinary? Nope, after all, it’s only waffles. Is it because the bathrooms are so clean? Noooooo. Enough said.
We go to Waffle House because as we walk in the door, the chorus from all the employees within range began. “Mornin’!” “Mornin’!” “Mornin’!” “Mornin’!” “Mornin’!”
Five or six people snap to attention, multitasking with a greeting while still waiting on people. And THAT’S why we go to Waffle House.
Humans have an insatiable craving to have others around them show that they care.
So how do you tap into that power?
You show you care when a customer has a problem and you say, “Oh my goodness, that’s terrible. My name is John, and I am going to make sure this is corrected right away. Here’s my direct line. We’ll keep talking until this is resolved.”
You show you care when your teammates have a deadline and even though it’s not in your “job description,” you stay late and do back-flips to make sure they meet their deadline.
You show you care when you spend time with your kid with NO TELEVISION and listen to them tell you what excites them.
You show you care when you tell your boss, who demands more of you than you knew you had in you, that you appreciate her critiques of your work because it helps you improve.
You show you care when you challenge someone who hasn’t completed their work with the required excellence by going directly to that person and coaching as opposed to whining about that person to coworkers behind their back.
You show you care when every customer walks out saying, “Wow. That was amazing! They always make me feel important there.”
And, you show you care when you constantly look for ways to go above and beyond in every project you do, ways to make a meaningful difference and add great value.
Try this:
- Make a list of 10 ways you could make it more obvious to people around you, from family members to coworkers to customers, that you care.
- Live your list with a fervor.
- Repeat. Keep finding new ways to show people around you that you care.