Make Me Look Good

A friend and I attended a business function last evening.  When the photographer asked to take our photo, my friend asked specifically that the photographer make her look smaller.  This astute photographer was eager to deliver great customer service and took 3 photographs staged differently to ensure that my friend was pleased. 

Not only do I love stories of great service, this story highlighted a universal need.  We all want to be positively perceived in our endeavors.  When we look for opportunities to make others look good, we all win.

2 Minutes Flat

A fun-loving, fancy-free man, enjoying fresh air and the freedom  from a conventional commute that a convertible provides, merged into my lane on the Westpark Tollway.  For two minutes, his execution was flawless - an approach to follow.   Though I don't commute with my convertible top down, I momentarily considered a missed opportunity. 

Two minutes later, this frantic, forlorn man was tempting fate as he foolishly stopped his car on the Post Oak ramp to see how fast he could close his roof.

Things always change, but not always this rapidly.  If our view is narrow, we risk assessing the 2-minute convertible appropriate view. When we consider and evaluate more than the apparent visuals at hand, we gain a broader perspective.

Though we value speed, two minutes is not enough time to make an informed decision.

Invisi-Shield

A friend who hadn't traveled by air recently asked if she would have to take off her suit jacket to pass through security.  The answer is, "yes", unless you aren't wearing a top under your suit jacket.  She indicated that she didn't like to expose her bare arms to others.  My response was that the "airport invisi-shield rule" applies.  Because everyone going through airport security is subjected to the same examination, everyone just develops a one-on-one relationship with the screeners, and doesn't acknowledge other passengers until the redressing stage at the other end of security.

When everyone is out of their element, the "invisi-shield rule" is in effect.

Perhaps it would be advantageous to invoke the "invisi-shield rule" in other settings to allow colleagues to eliminate the focus on their appearance and focus solely on their contributions to the discussion at hand.