A Surprising Personal Connection

A voice made me look up from shopping: “Aren’t you the doctor from San Francisco?”

A couple of the Stuck At The Top breakthrough mastermind members and I went to dinner after this amazing event had concluded. It was a delightful way to wind down and, following dinner, we strolled the shops connecting Bally’s to Paris in Las Vegas where I held my retreat session this past weekend.  

While I’m known for traveling with a Curious George because you can’t be in judgement if you live in curiosity, I’m also known for some of the louder shirts I wear.  And when I saw a shop with my kind of shirts in the window, I wandered in.  This was a place I had been to a little over a year prior. This shop was one of my faves actually, and I was happy to have found it again!  

What happened next was mind-blowing.

“Aren’t you the doctor from San Francisco?” 

Maggie, the shopkeeper had remembered me from over a year ago.  How many thousands of people had she seen since I had been in there last?  She remembered what I had purchased and she remembered that I had a weekly Wednesdays With Wayne blog.  She apologized to me that she hadn’t signed up for it yet. She talked about other details of my visit as if it was yesterday.

All of that exchange occurred within the first couple of minutes of my being in the store with my two master-minders.  The look on their faces was priceless. One asked if I had set that up. I hadn’t, of course, and the exchange served to highlight one of the points made during the event:  You connect with people by being present and deliberate.  That connection makes a difference and though the impact of the exchange may seem insignificant at the time, you really never know what the effect will be.  

I have a habit of rehumanizing those that I meet.  It’s a practice and it’s something that each of us can do.  In your own way, let the other person know that they matter.

• Make eye contact
• Smile
• Call them by name
• And for extra points, engage in conversation to find out a bit about them

Remind them that they matter.

This all #StartsWithOne – just you with one other.  At home, at work, or in the community.  Maggie had been in the financial field in New York.  She gave that up years ago and came across the country, settling in Nevada.  She is a connect-with-people type, too. And she’s good at it (obviously).

She helped me with my selection and we caught up.  I gave her a hug as we departed. We’re not “besties,” and it’s unlikely I’ll see her again soon.  And, with all of that, we both felt great about the reconnection. I had just been her customer well over a year ago and hadn’t seen her since.  She remembered me, making me feel great. That was her #StartsWithOne moment with me. The encounter still has me smiling.

Okay, okay… I get that sometimes you just want to go shopping, get what you need and get out.  That’s cool. It takes no extra time and little extra energy to look someone in the eye and smile, and if they have a nametag, just say thanks while using their name.  It does take being deliberate about it though. That’s the little extra energy that you never know how far it will go.

You know where that’s needed most?

• At Home
• At Work
• In your community as you venture out

Be more human with people - all people.  

Be intentional about your encounters.  Bring more of your presence and lift others with it.  Again, at home, at work, and in the community.

As a leader, you’re needed.  As a human, you’re wanted.

Be that.

Practice that.

And leave a note to let me know where and how it shows up for you – where can you / did you bring more of you and make a difference in the life of someone that might have been otherwise overlooked?  (Yes at home, at work, and in the community.)

 

See you here next week!

~ Dr P ~

The next Stuck At The Top breakthrough mastermind retreat is designed to get you refocused on your personal values and your goals.  It’s about lifting your leadership and you can hold your place at this exclusive mastermind. With just 12-seats at the table you can secure your spot and get super early bird pricing by registering at www.StuckAtTheTop.com now.  We’ll be in St. Louis on April 24th and 25th And that date will be here before you know it.  Commit to your growth and invest in your personal Continuing Education by clicking here to register now!