The Cost of a Compliment
I went by the drive-thru of an undisclosed fast food restaurant (my dirty little secret) before heading home for lunch today. I placed my order and the voice on the other end was friendly and courteous. This was a little shocking only because I’ve consumed quite a few calories over time at this place and the voices on the other end are usually a little impatient, unclear, and slightly rude.
I pulled around to pay and came face to face to a woman with a big smile. She seemed genuinely happy about her work and was easily the friendliest drive-thru employee I’ve ever encountered. She even got the entire order perfect!
Look, I get it. Fast food employees take home a dismal paycheck, work in greasy conditions, deal with rude customers, and have every right to be cranky. Right?
This employee didn’t seem to think so. She may not have been fulfilling her passion, but she was most certainly earning her money with a winning attitude.
I went home and told my wife about this diamond in the rough. It occurred to me that I should call the manager of this establishment and pay the employee a compliment. So that’s exactly what I did. After all, how often do people call to give a compliment? I bet fast food managers get several customer complaints a day. I mean just check out complaintsboard.com and see how many people are griping about their fast food experiences. Or better yet, listen to this hilarious 911 call from a woman who got fed up with bad fast food service. Do NOT mess with this woman’s BBQ burger!
When the manager came on the line I said something along the lines of, “I figured people only call you to complain, but I’m calling to pay a compliment.” He seemed a little taken aback. I went on to describe my experience and how appreciative I was of her attitude and work ethic.
Awkward silence…
After a couple of beats the manager responded, “Wow. Okay, well, thank you sir. You’re right, we don’t get these kinds of calls and I’ll be sure to let her know. “
What did I get out of it? I took home a great experience and a meal lacking any frustration or disappointment. What more could I want?
The real question is what might the drive-thru employee get out of it? Perhaps a pay raise or some sort of special recognition. I’m sure she earned a few brownie points with her manager, and she deserves at least that much.
The fact is that paying a compliment doesn’t actually cost you anything. We’re always quick to complain when something doesn’t go our way, but how often do hand out a compliment when something does goes our way or even surpasses our expectation?
Do you have any personal examples of this sort of thing? Let’s hear them!
Photo source: strangelv
Yesterday I talked about how a reputation is tied to a name. I had originally intended for yesterdays topic to be the one I’m writing about today, but I took off in another direction after reading about name origins. So now I’m back on my first thought. Not so much a continuation from yesterday but a different aspect of the same topic.
In the last couple of weeks we’ve seen quite a few examples of the crumbling decency of our culture. Where has our respect gone? Rep. Joe Wilson allowed himself the momentary satisfaction of an emotional outburst at President Obama during a speech. Now the words “you lie” have become a catch phrase and while it isn’t the first time a President has been heckled (not even for this President) it is the first time a member of Congress has done so during a session.
