If you know me, you know that I am quick to call out shady shit. If a waiter is horrible, I will address it. If a neighbor crawls through their window at 5am repeatedly because they are scoring meth, I will address it. When a racist stands behind me in WalMart and disparages a group of people, I will loudly address it. I am all about being vocal when things are shady shitty.
I also am not one to be shy or scared to speak out about those kinds of things. I will sometimes ask whoever is with me, “Want me to say something?” To make sure that they have a voice to call out their own dealings with shady shit.
In light of all of that calling out for the bad, I also work just as hard calling out the good things. On my way out of restaurants, if I see the manager as I am walking and the wait staff was solid, I will tell them so. I like knowing the name of my servers. If they don’t introduce themselves by name, I make sure to eyeball their name tag. I have been in their position before. I have worked long hours, I know how tiring it can be. I also know that when you are good at it you rarely hear the praise. But screw up just one time… If they are extra great, I make it a point to track down the shift manager to let them know and on occasion I will take to Twitter to give praise as publicly as possible.
Those little surveys at the bottom of receipts. I try hard to remember to fill them out. Sometimes the $5 off my next visit is a draw but it is also to give props or critique where needed.
If I am passing a stranger and I like their hat, outfit, shoes, smile, comment – I make it a point to casually say “good job on that”.
It takes only a few moments and costs nothing to give praise. It can literally be on your way out the door and passing a manager and speaking a few words. It can make someone’s day. It can bolster their (and your) mood. It sends good vibes out into the world. The world needs more good vibes.
