Try Kindness

Recently, on a return flight from Las Vegas to Missoula, I had the pleasure of meeting a male flight attendant named Dante.  I tend to watch people when traveling and noticed something about Dante.  He smiled often and was consistently courteous.  Then I noticed something else.  His name tag had a tag line: "Committed to Kindness".  I immediately thought of Maya Angelou's quote.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou

What a wonderfully bold tag line to add to a name tag.  In my eyes it made his name synonymous with this declaration.  A vow that he made to me and everyone else on board that plane.  The truth is kindness does matter.  One of my pet peeves is when someone makes the disclaimer, "I tell it like it is."  Translation: "I don't care how I make you feel and I am likely going to say something rude."

This morning I read an article on fastcompany.com that led me to a blog by Cap Watkins.  He is a web designer who moved to Oakland for work.  He wrote about his attempt to meet other web designers in the Bay Area and it came down to one person's kindness.  Great piece!

Cap's story is about networking.  It's also a story about making friends and taking a chance, but the root of the matter is networking.  Who wants to network with someone who is unkind?  No one does.  Networking, at it's essence, is a relationship between two people and when entering a relationship your interpersonal skills are a factor.  Ever hear the statement, your reputation precedes you?   People may hear about something you've done or something you've said, but when face-to-face with someone their true opinion of you will develop based on how you make them feel.

Are you committed to something so strongly that you are willing to make it synonymous with your name?  If not, try kindness and watch the doors begin to open.