Like Mindedness

I have a series of questions.

Why does it take a natural disaster -earthquake, flood, or hurricane- to pull us back together as a community? Why can we not maintain a like-minded pursuit of "I've got your back," through the course of the daily grind? When did we our default position as a nation, state, region, and community become individualistic?

Do you have the answers?

A Southern Hospitality Infusion

I experienced, as I have on previous trips to Texas, some of the greatest measures of customer service and hospitality that I've encountered. You'd be surprised how far these simple gestures will carry you in business, and in life.

• Smile, even when you don't feel like it. Every person I encountered in Texas from the concierge at my hotel to the police officer whom I encountered while strolling downtown Fort Worth, offered me a genuine smile.
• If someone takes an interest in your day, take an interest in theirs. Enough said.
• Treat everyone-absolutely everyone-with respect. I witnessed a man in a business suit stop and assist another man (the latter was dressed in tattered, worn-out clothing and saddled with numerous plastic bags) in his efforts to clear the Fort Worth sidewalks of littered cigarette butts.

Think about this next time you pick up the phone to answer a service call you don't really want to deal with, or the when your co-worker shows up at your office door to ask you the same question for the umpteenth time.

Folks, this isn't rocket science. It's common courtesy.

Will you join me in an effort to treat others how we want to be treated?

Friday's Thought

Is the population of your own world more than just you?

Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. Helen Keller