After a long weekend, I found myself excited to talk to one of my work friends on my first day back. She came up to my desk and we began catching up, no work stuff, just life stuff, when one of my supervisors walked in with a folder of papers for me. He walked up, handed it to me and spoke about what it was. My friend smiled and excused herself.
My supervisor, horrified, that he interupted us, tried to stop her from leaving by reaching out for her, but missed her. He apologized to me, and look distraught that he had interrupted us. I told him it was ok, she was just stopping by my desk on a way to another room.
Let me stop and say this supervisor, is a quiet very nice man from Ethiopia, very mannerable, and a good soul.
He went to catch up to my friend, apologized and hugged her. When she got back to her desk, he had sent her a $10 giftcard to Starbucks. My friend went and told him that he didn't have to do that. People interrupt us talking all the time, assuming they have something more important to say. They walk in and begin talking, sometimes over us, sometimes for so long my friend has to leave. And he simply said, "I don't."
She and I spent a lot of time thinking about that (for days actually). We are so used to people being rude, interrupting, thinking their time is more important than ours, that when someone apologizes for the behavior we are almost on the defense. Why would they apologize, what ulterior motive do they have?
It was almost a breath of fresh air. A good person who actually cared.
A few days later when my main supervisor walked in and started talking over us, we exchanged knowing glances, at the special thing that we had witnessed previously.
Do something nice today!
My supervisor, horrified, that he interupted us, tried to stop her from leaving by reaching out for her, but missed her. He apologized to me, and look distraught that he had interrupted us. I told him it was ok, she was just stopping by my desk on a way to another room.
Let me stop and say this supervisor, is a quiet very nice man from Ethiopia, very mannerable, and a good soul.
He went to catch up to my friend, apologized and hugged her. When she got back to her desk, he had sent her a $10 giftcard to Starbucks. My friend went and told him that he didn't have to do that. People interrupt us talking all the time, assuming they have something more important to say. They walk in and begin talking, sometimes over us, sometimes for so long my friend has to leave. And he simply said, "I don't."
She and I spent a lot of time thinking about that (for days actually). We are so used to people being rude, interrupting, thinking their time is more important than ours, that when someone apologizes for the behavior we are almost on the defense. Why would they apologize, what ulterior motive do they have?
It was almost a breath of fresh air. A good person who actually cared.
A few days later when my main supervisor walked in and started talking over us, we exchanged knowing glances, at the special thing that we had witnessed previously.
Do something nice today!
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