Take care of the little things

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My grandmother told me two things when she dropped me off at school:

  • Be good
  • Do your best

Simple, right?

In most systems, especially those that deal with people, this simplicity is something you have to claw and scratch for. It doesn’t come free. If you’re a manager it’s usually at your expense and it’s a part of your job.

Learning what makes people happy or sad is an important part of achieving this simple success. Getting the best out of your people, and having folks do things the right way — for the right reasons — requires some basic knowledge about what motivates or demotivates people.

Unfortunately, this takes some time. You’re not going to know everyone inside-out after a few days; not even after a few months. So where do you start? You start simple. You start with the small things:

  • Be polite. Wait your turn. Hold the door. Say thank you. Clean up after yourself. Say sorry and mean it. Offer other people gum.
  • Listen to people. Make eye contact. Let them finish talking. If you don’t know what they said, ask them so you can understand. Empathize with them.
  • Be on time. Show up when you say you will. Let people know if you can’t. Reschedule promptly if you have to. Don’t waste people’s time.
  • Random acts of kindness. Notes saying “thank you!” or “you’re awesome!” mean a lot. Cards on birthdays, holidays, new babies. Gifts: trophies, action figures, mugs, gift cards, scotch, etc.
  • Go out of your way for them. Stay late. Reschedule a meeting if they aren’t done yet. Put off your dinner plans to be there with them during a launch. Reply to their late email. Give them a ride home when it’s raining.

If you find yourself in a corner because you don’t know everyone on your team, relax. The best part about these small things is they are universal motivators. They build trust and relationships at work, home or elsewhere.

Over time, you’ll get to know your team and build on what you’ve started. Until then, do the small things — and keep doing them. Eventually, your team will be good and do their best because you did the same first.

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