A good friend of mine is a cop. In his patrol days, he hated giving speeding tickets. Almost always let people off with warning. (Unless they were driving like an asshole or he’d given a warning before.)
Why? Because he didn't want to ruin anyone’s day.
He explained: “Someone’s just going about their day and drove a little too fast. They get a ticket. Now they got all this negativity they’ll carry around with them. Probably pass that onto their family. I hate having my day ruined. So I don’t like doing it to anyone else.”
He’s a rare breed. But his reasoning had a lasting impact on me, in two ways:
I also hate having my day ruined. Nothing we do at work is so serious that it justifies ruining someone else’s.
When you have your day ruined, over and over, it’s not just your day that sucks. It’s your life.
That last part hits home on work environment and employee experience. Habitual day ruining is what makes a shitty company.
So think about that in how you treat your coworkers. I do.
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