Sometimes you learn valuable lessons at the most unexpected times and places. A colleague at work recently quit his job. I knew him for about 6-7 months; he was working in another department for 5 years before that.
As his last day came closer, people from other departments began dropping in.
People whom I had never seen before came and said hello. He was given more than one farewell party. A few of them were sad that he was leaving. A few were happy, they thought he could do much better elsewhere. There were gifts for himself, for his little son. And lots and lots of heartfelt good wishes.
And everyone had good things to say about him. About how he was a good man. Hardworking and helpful.
As he finally left on his last day, I thought about a few things. About the impression he had left on the people here. Nobody really cared which car he came in, and the clothes and cologne that he wore. I realized that these things weren’t really important. What people remembered were the kind gestures, the helpful little things he had done for them and of course, the rock solid work he had done for the hospital.
I guess what really matters, is the impression you left on peoples minds as a person. There are different ways about going about your job. You can either be mechanical about it, sort of detached, or you can get involved. One of my closest friends is at one end (the involved one) of the spectrum. But maybe that’s not possible for everyone.
What we could do is not let personal disillusionment/frustration/bitterness cloud our attitude at work. Be a good person; be more likable, and not just efficient.
Trust me; it is more difficult than it sounds.
