Recently while I was observing the behavior of customers and workers in a retail mall, I was reminded of an incident that happened several years ago. I was the executive director of a large conference center. My normal workday routine was interrupted by a gentle knock at the door. My assistant came in and handed me an envelope and reported the following incident.
A few hours earlier a guest had been making a scene at our front desk. The guest was apparently belligerent, verbally abusing Marilyn, the front desk manager. The front desk area was busy and many guests were in line witnessing this spectacle. This guest just got louder, more angry and more abusive, in spite of the fact that his situation had not been caused by our staff nor Marilyn in particular. Finally, he left in a huff, leaving everyone a bit stunned.
The next guest stepped up to the front desk and told Marilyn, with much admiration, that he had never seen anyone handle a totally out of control and unreasonable customer as Marilyn had done. He told her, “Your handling of that situation was a powerful testimony to me of your walk with God. Thank you for being such a remarkable example.”
Now just a few hours later he had dropped off an envelope to my assistant with the comment, “I just want to leave this donation to your organization. An organization that has people like Marilyn working in it must be making a difference in the lives of people. I want to support that. Thanks for being such an example to me.”
We never know who is watching and being influenced by our behavior
The lesson to me is that we never know who is watching and being influenced by our behavior. And there are times that even the best training is not adequate for a given situation. Only by living every moment of our work lives in step with God’s Spirit can we be sure to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control. These are the attributes that Marilyn exhibited.
What do you exhibit? What do people notice about you in those unguarded and pressurized moments?
