A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
Proverbs 11:17
I recently had an amazing experience with a young man who used to work for me at another company a couple of years ago. I can remember, everyday, I would see this guy working as hard as he could to do his job to the best of his ability. I don’t think I ever saw him without sweat just pouring off of him, doing what needed to be done. To make matters even more amazing, he would do his job with a huge smile on his face. One day I had the opportunity to speak with him about more than just a job going through our plant. I told him I appreciated his hard work and all his efforts and I remember saying I think you are a smart guy and you will move on and become more than just this entry level position to which I received a big smile again. I moved on to my next task and never thought about this again…
Fast forward 2 years. New company and new people and as I made my way through the plant and I see this same fellow working away only now he was running a much larger and more expensive piece of equipment. We made eye contact and I waved and he called me over and wanted to speak with me. He said, “do you remember me”? And I said, “of course I do Jose, how are you”, He said, “I remembered what you said and I kept working hard and now look what I have become”, and he held his arms out wide. Then it was my turn to smile…
Guys, I assure you I am just a regular guy like you and not an expert on human behavior and I’m not relating this story to you to bring attention to myself. I tell you this because of the realization I had that day about simply saying what was on my mind; something that was kind and true; and never realizing the impact my words had on him. As the man in charge or the leader of a household, it is easy to criticize others thinking they will be motivated as a result. Frankly, that is not the case. Negative comments cause animosity and frustration with whomever you speak with, your employees, your wife or your children. When you take the time to say something positive, you will reap a huge reward. Like me, you may find what you said helped motivate somebody to think they could be more…
