Having lost 30 pounds, our rescue mastiff, Gunther, is now a svelte 138. He is a force. Gunther loves belly rubs and hates UPS trucks: those big, brown, noisy vehicles that sound threatening and are probably driven by the devil.
It was not good news for Gunther, then, when the UPS truck stopped directly in front of our house. Separated from the dreaded UPS driver by only the front door, Gunther barked and growled incessantly. Surely, he thought, nothing good could come from this.
After the UPS driver completed his mission and the truck had taken leave, my wife opened the front door. Gunther braced himself for the very worst. . .only to find that on top of the delivered package was . . .a sizable, yummy dog treat.
And in that moment, Gunther's world changed. What was a reason for dread became a reason to be grateful. Gunther probably now loves the UPS driver and dreams of the day when that big, brown, noisy truck will pull up to our house to leave Gunther another gift of collective gratitude.
By one very smart move, the UPS driver changed a negative expectation into a positive result.
And how much can we learn from that?
Rather than delivering the goods on people's expectations of dread, what if we changed their minds? What if we zeroed in on the people with negative expectations of an interaction and completely changed the dynamic by offering a positive experience?
Unfortunate as it is, many people have come to expect negative experiences with leaders or "bosses." Let's change the dynamics: give five positive comments for every constructive criticism. . .really listen . . .take time to interact, both professionally and personally. . .exhibit emotional intelligence. How much would that change the dynamics for the good?
Because the UPS driver changed the paradigm - Gunther now probably thinks the driver is an angel. Would people think the same of us?
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
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