2 words and 11 letters. A very small phrase but at the same time a very powerful one. The Phrase has the power to make somebody's day better and to make someone feel noticed. It is one of the only phrases that can do so much good and harm so little. Then why is it that I notice more and more that people do not say it as often.
A small disclaimer, I base this piece on my personal views of my surroundings at work and in public places.
When I enter the bus in the morning I always greet the driver. He is probably up for a while already and though it is his job I am quite grateful that he drives me to my destination. This greeting is sometimes received with a friendly hello back but sometimes with no answer at all. This might be because the bus driver is just a grumpy person and does not like his job very much but maybe there is something behind this behaviour. I usually sit near the front of the bus where I have a good view of everything that happens on the road in front of me, I also see people walk in the bus at the different bus stops. What I notice is that only maybe 20% of all people the walk into the bus greet the bus driver. The rest just checks in and keeps on walking. It seems that they do not notice the bus driver at all and think they are being driven by an automated vehicle. Imagine this: You are at work and all the people you see just walk on by. They expect you to do your job and do not show any gratitude. Hell, they don't even notice you are there in the first place. How would you feel after a couple of weeks?
At work the phrase "Good Morning "carries equal importance. I once worked at a place where on my first day they said to me: "When you come in you greet everybody with, "Good Morning" (if it is afternoon you say Good afternoon of course). Back then I though "Wauw is this really necessary and maybe redundant to tell us to say it? I choose what I want to say and what I don't want to say". Whilst it will always remain up to you to say what you want to say but also consider the effect it has on your surroundings. Not saying anything might be very comfortable and easy but saying Good Morning will have way more (positive) effect on the environment! Telling somebody to say good morning might be in conflict with my liberal ideals but in hindsight it had really positive effects. A group of about 70 people felt like a team and acted like one, though we were divided into several departments. We all talked to each other and knew each others name. I think this is because of the effect of the message "Good morning". I say in hindsight because in my later jobs this was not always the case...
When I started my next job everybody in my new company knew each other for a while already. As I started to work there I rolled right in as an individual. I came to know my colleagues quickly and working there was very comfortable, I felt part of the family. However the company was merging with other branches, departments left or became smaller and some departments grew to serve a wider area. There was one specific department where all offices in the whole region joined us in our branch. There were about 20 people joining us in a different department. These people already knew the company and would only have to do their job at a different location. They sat 5 metres away from my spot but it seemed like a million. Nobody in our branch introduced themselves to them and also from their side there was no interest in doing so. Even after 6 months the situation remained the same. I could not name a single person of that department and I was sure that they did not know mine. We did not ever say good morning to each other or let alone talk to each other. This resulted in a negative spiral. We blamed them for not introducing themselves to us and I was pretty sure they thought the same about us. This might be because we all started off on the wrong foot by not being introduced to each other or even that we walked up to say hello. But I am pretty sure that if we just said good morning to each other we would grow more towards each other and worked better together.
The Phrase is positive, powerful and extremely easy. Let people know that they are there and that they matter. It carries a lot of weight and will make the working environment that much better. Be that person who thinks beyond their own little island and inspire people to do the same simply by saying: "Good Morning!".
Know Thyself.
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