CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Last week, I met up with a group of friends for a casual dinner on the town. After the usual discussion of what movies we had seen recently or new places we had discovered to eat, the dinner conversation turned to the inevitable topic of work.
As all dinner guests were members of the Air Force, I brought up the newly released master sergeant promotion results and excitedly relayed a member of my squadron learned she was going to be sewing on a new stripe. It was the conversation that followed my joyous refrain which sparked the topic for this article.
One of my very astute peers noted: "You know, it's really sad that when you do your job well, no one notices - people just expect you to do a good job. More often than not, when people get recognized it is for doing something wrong."
Fast forward to Monday of this week - I had a really bad day. Of all the projects I was working on, nothing seemed to solidify. I would finally cross something off my "to do" list and minutes later someone would call and I would have to restart the process.
It was just like Nina says in the movie Office Space, "I definitely had a case of the Mondays ..."
Then at about 2:30 p.m., when all hope for the day seemed lost, a technical sergeant stopped by the office to ask a couple questions to one of my co-workers. As she left the office, she stopped herself, popped her head back in and looked at me and said, "Ma'am, I've been meaning to tell you, I think you're really good at this job," and she was gone. No provocation, no impetus from me venting about having the worst Monday I've had in a while, just a simple compliment. It made my day.
While I was driving home and thinking about this sergeant, something my dad said came back to me.
He once told me, "There are only two safe addictions, a thank you and a smile."
Then I started thinking about the comment my friend made and I began to ask myself when was the last time I really spontaneously gave a genuine compliment to someone for simply doing their job well? I really couldn't remember.
So, I have set a challenge for myself and also challenge all you who read this article - the next time you notice someone going the extra mile, make them aware of it. Thank the Airmen at the Military Personnel Flight for taking the time to help you or your family with their ID cards. Thank the maintainer who doesn't complain about working in the 100 degree heat to fix your airplane. Thank the member of security forces for working the gate on a four-day weekend, still greeting with a smile and a kind word.
We all live in a world of "busy times." Whether we are planning an event in support of a squadron, group or wing we must remember "attitude is contagious" and a small thank you can go a long way. Maybe if we make this enough of a habit, someday our kind words and positive attitudes will turn into two of the safest addictions.