Today’s Reflection (post by Kirk Weisler)
“If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” – Fred Rogers
“You are here for a purpose. You may have experienced some setbacks and/or perhaps are struggling with dejection. Remember that today you are valuable and your life matters. Learn to accept the beauty that is you. Be blessed today and find self-acceptance.” – Mario Valadez
We can be so critical of ourselves. We need to be kinder to ourselves and talk to ourselves as we would our best friend or a loved one. It’s important to take time to think about how we talk to ourselves. I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s reflection. Please share them in the blog comments here.
Kirk Out
Going the Extra Mile (post from Frank Somerville KTVU)
“It melts my heart to come across people that are prepared to go the extra mile, and little acts of kindness makes a massive difference to my world.”
That’s what Amanda Wilkens posted the other day after her experience in a Supermarket called Morrisons in the United Kindom.
It’s all because of what the checker did for Amanda’s two kids.
Here’s what Amanda wrote:
I would like to say a massive thank you to the lady in the photo (sorry didn’t see her name) who helped me today at Morrisons in Basingstoke.
I have two children that are both registered blind and are also autistic.
As you can imagine shopping is not an easy thing for me to do, at the checkout both girls decided to go into meltdown and this very kind lady decided to help instead of judge.
It doesn’t happen very often!
She distracted my daughter by letting her scan all my shopping.
A dream come true for Holly who loves playing ‘shops’.
It melts my heart to come across people that are prepared to go the extra mile, and little acts of kindness makes a massive difference to my world.
Amanda xxx
It turns out that the checker’s name is Lin.
Here’s what Morrisons wrote about her:
What an amazing lady (Lin) is and what a credit she is to our company.
We are very proud to say she works for Morrisons.
It’s amazing how something small can make a massive difference to others and it’s lovely to hear that one of your daughter’s dreams has been brought to life by this act of kindness.
Thanks – Harriet
And the store manager Simon Nellis wrote:
“That’s my Lin!
Thanks for sharing this.
I make a massive fuss of my team when they do great, natural things for our customers like this and they also go on our wall of fame.
I can now do this with Lin.”
I’m always impressed by people who are kind.
Because small acts of kindness can go so far.
This is one of my favorite quotes:
“You can easily judge the character of a person by how they treat those who can do nothing for them.”
#StayKind
#GoOutAndInspireSomeoneToday
Thanks to Maria Clara Severo for telling me about this story.
3 Things You Can Do Today To be A Better Leader (post from Kirk Weisler)
INC.com wrote an article that contains 20 ways you can be a better leader at work today. Here are my top 3 favorites:
Ask personal questions & Start Your Meetings by Sharing Something Personal
One of my greatest challenges as a leader had to do with my introverted personality. I didn’t share enough about myself, my family life, and my aspirations for the team. (I’ve since realized how being hyper-focused and analytical by nature also helped me get promoted and were probably my greatest strengths.) I wish I had tried to understand my team’s personal motivations more and relate on a personal level. It’s okay to get personal–just not too personal. There’s no need to explain how the dog is sick or how your car is on the fritz. That’s not what I mean. In a meeting, it’s okay to quickly share a few personal tidbits about your kids or a recent vacation. Don’t just jump right into the budget report or the customer wins. Let your employees know more about you and that you exist as a person outside of work. They will know you are human.
Analyze first, then act
It takes time to collect information, and there’s a sense in leadership that you need to move quickly. We are paid to respond and act, not to sit back and wait for someone else to solve problems. Yet I made the mistake of acting before analyzing. In a few cases, I even approved projects, new hires, and direction before getting 100% of the data.
Apologize without hesitation
It took many years for me to realize how saying “I’m sorry” can help. For years, I thought leadership meant insulating myself from my subordinates and hiding any weaknesses. If I made a mistake, I’d pretend it was just a misunderstanding or someone else’s fault. If you fess up quickly, people working for you will respect you more and follow directions.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Kirk Out
Basset Hounds Wouldn’t Leave Dying Infant’s Side
By NICOLE PELLETIERE Good Morning America
A family’s two basset hounds refused to leave a dying child’s side after doctor’s informed her parents the devastating news that she wouldn’t survive.
“It was really nice,” mom Mary Hall of Deluth, Minnesota, told ABC News. “It brought us a lot of comfort to have them [there]. But by the end of the first day, you could see they were stressed out and depressed. Normally, they’re very happy-go-lucky. We knew they could sense there was something wrong.”
Nora Hall, 5 months old, died May 2 after suffering a stroke April 6 and spending three weeks in the hospital.
The stroke had affected both sides of her brain, causing severe damage, her mother said.
Mary Hall
The family dogs, 8-year-old Grumpy and Gracie, fell in love with Nora as soon as she arrived from the hospital, Hall said.
“Gracie, especially, took on the role as second mother,” she said. “Whenever Nora would cry, Gracie would run to see what was wrong. She was always, always by Nora and kissing her and making sure she was OK.”
As Nora’s days were sadly numbered, Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis asked Mary and John Hall whether they had any final wishes for their daughter.
“I asked, ‘If you could let us have our dogs [at the hospital], we’d really appreciate that,'” Hall recalled. “I didn’t want to go home and have them sniffing around for her and not knowing where she went. They lowered the bed so the dogs could lay with her and Gracie ran up and licked her [Nora].”
Hall said she is grateful for the hospital honoring the special exception of having Nora, Gracie and Grumpy together one last time.
The family snapped photos of the touching goodbyes and posted them on Facebook.
“She was just a really happy baby,” Hall said. “Before we went into the hospital, she’d just start laughing. She was happy all the time.”
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