A town that says “Hello”
A town that says “Hello”
And just like that, it’s February, the month of love. All 93 days of January have come and gone, and the year is cracking along at full pace.
A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch in Paarl on a Friday afternoon. What stood out most about this beautiful town was not the searing heat, but how friendly the people are. Walking around, at least four people said hello to me first, adding a sincere smile to boot. I loved it.
I am the type of weirdo who says hello to strangers. When walking or running around my town, I try to greet everyone who passes by. After the Paarl visit, I told my running buddy that we should turn our town into one where people say hello, one interaction at a time, starting with us. In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish the real from the synthetic, this can be a simple way to hold on to our shared humanity.
Dale Carnegie wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People 90 years ago. Almost a century later, it is striking to witness the simplicity of the advice he shared and how seemingly rare these skills have become.
If you want to have a positive influence on the environments and people you come across, start with the following, as suggested by Carnegie (among a list of others):
- Smile, sincerely.
- Be friendly.
- Remember and use other people’s names (something I struggle with).
- Show genuine interest in others, not just yourself.
- Ask questions. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
- Avoid criticism where possible. Rather admit your own mistakes.
- Listen. Really listen, not to respond but to take in what others have on their minds and hearts.
- When you see someone putting in the effort, recognise and acknowledge them for it.
Does any of this sound old-fashioned and outdated? Not to me. I would very much enjoy having more of these types of interactions. Want to be part of a family, team, business or town that is warm, welcoming and more human? Why not be the one who starts a new trend? Be the one who goes first.
As always, thank you for reading.
Let us know how you go first, get in touch. You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
