kindness

Yesterday I shared a post-it from Brenda Barnes at Sara Lee.  Obviously, it means a lot to me; I’ve held on to it for sixteen years.  When I came across that post-it, I took a little trip down memory lane and thought I’d share some other kind gestures that leaders made over the years that meant so much to me.

When I was eighteen, I was in a car accident.  While the accident was relatively minor, the impact (no pun intended) was costly to me in that I wasn’t insured.  I learned many lessons as a result, but one was that my employer told me not to worry about it.  The company was a small and privately held.  The owner loaned me what was to him a small amount but to me a huge amount of money to repair the cars.  I paid it all back very quickly, but his kindness was deeply appreciated because I didn’t have a lot of adults in my life that could tell me that everything would be ok.

Once while at Sara Lee, I remember a conversation where I asked an HR VP if it was difficult for him to be in a role that often required him to fire people.  His response meant so much to me.  He said, “I really care about those people and when they’re being let go, I want it to be from someone who cares.”    Those words inspired me to know that an HR person can be immensely helpful to others on what can seem like their worst day.  It’s important to treat others with deep compassion and kindness.

Another time at Sara Lee, I was one of the first moms who was allowed to work from home one day a week.  I remember holding my sleeping baby while talking to the head of HR.  My daughter woke up in the middle of the call and started to cry.  I apologized and the head of HR said, “Don’t you ever feel that you have to apologize for your baby crying.”  Those words meant so much to me because at the time working from home was unusual.  I felt so supported that day.  I’m sure he didn’t think a thing of it, but I’ll never forget that conversation.

My last Sara Lee story is that when I first started working there (1982), the payroll manager was a woman who could be both harsh and incredibly kind depending on the day.  I was pondering the amount I would contribute to my 401k.  She was patient with me for a few days but finally said the following “I don’t give a rat’s ass if you don’t make a lot of money.  Save as much as you can, and I promise you one day you will thank me.”  I’ve repeated that story more times than I can count.  If you’re not saving as much as you can in your 401k, take Mary Ellen’s words to heart.  She was right!

Ordinarily, I don’t spend a lot of time looking back, but lately, I’ve done a lot of reflecting.  Maybe it’s the changing seasons, I don’t know, but I’m really grateful for so many little moments over the years.

I’m reminded of the following quote:

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.  William James

Just know that your words and actions make a difference to those in your life.  If you can make a positive difference, do it; it’s why you’re here.

Big hug to all of you; I so appreciate your being here!