Seeing my name on the iPad outside the hotel in the Vegas heat, I walk up to meet Andy my driver. His big smile and friendly manner are such assets in his business.
One of the big perks of my job is meeting the coolest people; drivers are some of my absolute favorites. Many of you know it’s a quick ride from the Vegas strip to McCarran airport.
During the ride I learned Andy originally from Brooklyn, moved his family to New Jersey and then three years ago moved to Vegas to care for his aging parents (still going strong at 90 and 91). He was a charming, friendly man with a love of people and life.
The question I ask every driver (regardless of what city I am in) is ‘who is the most interesting person you have ever had in your car? Andy raved about Nicolas Cage: he was funny, talkative and appreciative. I am a fan and love his movies so it was fun to hear Andy’s enthusiasm for the conversation they shared.
When we pulled up the curb the time had flown by. I gave him a tip and he handed me my bag and then wrapped his strong arms around me in the biggest bear hug ever. ‘Please come back and see me Miss James so we can talk again’ he said.
If we’ve met, you will know I love cuddles and am very affectionate (some would say this isn’t very ‘business like’). It’s not uncommon for people to hug me at the end of business meeting, presentation or a transaction (I love it). Andy said ‘thank you for your company today come back and see me’.
I believe people want two things: they want to be seen and they want to be heard. Are you truly seeing people? Do you give people the gift of your undivided attention?
Who do you need to ‘see’ today?
My challenge to you is reach out to someone you work with, someone you care about, someone who means a lot to you and remind them they matter. Take 15 minutes today to invest your undivided attention with someone important to you – they need to be reminded they matter.
In our book Folding Time™ we call this engagement – as leaders we need to accelerate our engagement today and give people the gift of our undivided attention.
This experience reminds me of my good friend, distinction expert and brilliant author, Scott McKain. His story of Terry the taxi driver, check out his latest book called 7 Tenets of Taxi Terry to learn more about how everyone can create and deliver a memorable experience.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you ‘see’ people. Share your ideas with us here on our blog.
PS. If you want more ideas on how to increase your productivity – check out other blogs here and several eBooks you can share with your team.
I have recently decided to stop multitasking. I was a miserable failure at it and decided that my brain, and I’m finding out most brains, aren’t programmed that way. A very wise woman said that we can do anything in 15 minute increments, so I decided to do just that. I break up my tasks in 15 minute increments and focus ONLY on what I’m doing. I even set the timer on my phone with the alarm shouting “I’m so happy” at the end of the period. If I get into it, I set it for another 15 minutes to finish the thought.
It is through this that I am able to really engage with what I’m doing and have been able to get so much more accomplished during my day. This principle holds true with people, too.
About a year ago, I discovered I had thyroid cancer. At that time, it became abundantly clear what my priorities were: my health and my family. When I am spending time with my son or husband, it is quality time. I am completely present in the moment with them so I enjoy every minute I spend with them. It’s done wonders in strengthening my relationship with the two most important men in my life and it has significantly reduced my stress level at home. We have such a good time together! My kid is a comic genius.
And now that I am using “my fifteen” at work, my stress has been reduced there and I’m more productive. I win!
I agree, Neen, that people do want to be seen and be heard. It’s so easy to really listen to someone, look at them while doing so and keeping our body language congruent with what we are saying.
In my field I’ve come to appreciate how someone might sit in front of me and say that they are not depressed and yet their shoulders are down, their eyes are sad and they sigh and sigh.
It was nice to read your story about meeting another person’s spirit in that short ride. On life’s spiritual highway it can sometimes go like that.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experiences Neen. I believe it is so important to acknowledge and pay careful attention to people, not to judge them but to appreciate them. Some times, we may not be in the mood, but with a little patience I think we can do it. The reward of that is more than worth it. At the end, we just need to apply the saying “Treat others as you would like to be treated” therefore, see others, listen others, care for others as you would like to be seen, listened, and cared.
***Kathy