It’s not very hard to be nice to people. It takes less effort to just be a genuinely decent person than it does to be angry all of the time. Yet, there seems to be a trend of people being rude and nasty to one another.
One of our drivers, Bruce, was complimented on his pleasant demeanor and his ability to be a genuinely likable person. We received an email from a company that said “We very rarely, if ever, reach out to give compliments. But we wanted to let you know how great your driver, Bruce, is. Every time he picks up here, he is pleasant, courteous, and always a pleasure to work with”. Bruce is a shining example of someone who will always smile and say hello to you, you’ll never know if he’s having a bad day, and he’s just a really solid guy. Bruce is not only breaking the trend of negativity, he’s showcasing his pleasant demeanor wherever he goes.
My husband works at a warehouse as a shipping supervisor. Every day, he talks to drivers who are picking up or dropping off. The drivers love coming to Master Products, and my husband finally asked a driver why. It’s because he’s genuinely nice to the drivers. There have been days when the drivers are late and their dispatcher didn’t call to inform the warehouse. There have been days when the driver just didn’t show up at all when they were supposed to. But my husband, Brett, understands that he’s not going to achieve anything by being rude to the driver. Most likely, it wasn’t their fault.
Things happen that are out of our control. Sometimes a warehouse will request an early pick up time and they’re not ready. That will throw the whole day off for the warehouse and their employees, the driver, and every other warehouse that the driver is picking up for. During those times, communication is key. But even when there is a breakdown in communication, try to think of the person you’re talking to as just that; a person.
We shouldn’t just be nice to drivers, either. Just be nice in general. From the Dock Manager to the clerk at the gas station, being friendly will improve your day and improve the days of every single person you come into contact with.
Tiffany Zupka, Sales and Marketing Coordinator