Smile
Sharon Koehler
Artistic Stone Design
My house was built in 1960. It’s a brick ranch-style with two whole steps down into the den. It’s good for me because it pretty much has no steps to worry a senior citizen, like me. I will never have to get one of those electric chairs that slide up and down the wall of a stairwell.
However, at 61 years old, the house needs work. So, every year I hire a contractor to come in and work on an area that needs fixing. The thing is, I don’t stick around and watch. When he comes in to work, I go on vacation and leave him alone. I do this for a couple of reasons:
#1 – Most people work better when they aren’t being hovered over.
#2 – (and most important) I know myself. If I stick around, I will be all up in his business watching everything he does, asking all kinds of questions, not trusting the process, and concerned about everything after he leaves for the day. It’s easier on both of our stress levels if I just go away, inspect everything when I get back, and do a punch list if necessary. Now, it should be said that I know this guy really well. He’s been a friend of the family since before I got the house, and I trust him to oversee whatever needs to be overseen.
Unfortunately, not everyone can or should do this. I don’t do it for the exterminators or the heating and air people. I don’t know them. The point is, unless you are at a project being overseen by a trusted contractor, at some point in time you will more than likely encounter the homeowner.
That’s not normally a bad thing, but keep in mind that most ordinary people have been cooped up for the last 12-18 months with limited contact outside their bubble. For the most part, a lot of people have been afraid: afraid they would catch COVID and possibly die, or afraid their loved ones or someone else close to them would get it, or just afraid of the situation in general. It’s only natural, but it weighs on people’s minds, and sometimes changes their mindset a bit. It may take some people longer to get back to “normal” than others. We have all heard the stories lately of passengers behaving badly on planes, or the uptick in road rage. We have read about the violent arguments between people standing in line at stores, or arguments between neighbors that got out of hand.
So maybe, just maybe, we need a different mindset ourselves when going into people’s homes. Maybe we need to be just a little more polite, a little more “yes, ma’am” and “no, sir,” with a smile. Maybe we need to take the time to fully answer the customer’s questions instead of those short, know-them-by-heart quips we use when we have been asked the same question for the umpteenth time. Maybe we need to make it a point to be on time, or call them and keep them in the loop when being on time isn’t possible.
I know – heck, we all know that installing is dirty work, but maybe instead of pulling on those holey jeans or those wrinkled khakis in the laundry basket, maybe we put on something not so wrinkled and holey. Or maybe we don’t put on the t-shirt with that big tear at the hem. Maybe we trim our beards a bit and don’t wear the tennis shoes with your little toe sticking out the hole on the side. If you’re having a bad hair day and your hair looks like it has a mind of its own, maybe put on a hat instead of thinking you are never going to see these people again, so who cares. Or, put it in a ponytail so only the back of your head looks like it’s having a bad hair day.
Maybe we need to clean and organize our trucks and other vehicles. Wash the trucks, shine the tires and get the dents and bruises out so they look fantastic driving down the road. Maybe we need to organize the inside so the customer doesn’t see us rummaging through it looking for something that should be at our fingertips.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we are all running around looking like bums and acting like cavemen and women driving garbage trucks. I’m just saying that sometimes, with time, complacency settles in and we don’t always realize it. (Especially with the times we have had in the last year plus.)
So, with everything trying at least to make its way back to normal, what would it hurt to smile a little more, speak a little calmer, be a little more polite, answer a little more fully, look a little better and drive a cleaner truck? For the first time in recent history, we get a second chance to make a good first impression, and hopefully make someone’s reentry into the world a little nicer.
Please send your thoughts on this article to Sharon Koehler at Sharon@asdrva.rocks.