My uncle Jack McShea founded McShea & Company, the commercial real estate firm where I spent most of my career, in the 1980s. He told me once that one of his first jobs was as comptroller of an electrical contracting firm. When he began working there the firm was struggling to survive in a tough economy.
His days were long and grueling. He spent hours on the phone negotiating terms with creditors and trying to get customers with overdue accounts to pay up. All this stress left him with little time or energy for being social around the office, so he would typically go right into his office in the mornings and close the door without interacting much with the other employees.
One day the company had a small office party, serving coffee and snacks and encouraging the employees to mingle. Jack came out of his office and joined the group, revealing his normal self for a change – a jovial, positive person who was also a great listener. One of the other employees told him she was surprised to see this side of him, since all the other employees usually saw of him was the serious man heading straight into his office and shutting the door.
Uncle Jack told me that after hearing what his coworker said, he made up his mind that he would begin and end each day by taking a full lap around the office, taking the time to talk to each employee. He continued that practice throughout his career, taking his lap nearly every day during the 26 years I worked with him at McShea & Company.
It’s human nature to take Jack’s original approach and withdraw from other people when things are not going well – or even just when things are really busy. However, these are the times when it is most important to take a lap and connect with our people and show them that we care.
Have a great weekend,
Ro