Remember to Celebrate

Yesterday, my four-year-old granddaughter Molly, who is very anxious to begin kindergarten next year, dictated what she called her "Learning at School" list. There are some items that clearly belong. Rule 9, "Do your hardest work," is nicely augmented by Rule 12, "Don't scribble scrabble on people's work." Sometimes a four-year-old's silliness came through. Rule 14, the eminently sensible "Don't pull people's hair," morphed into Rules 17 and 18, "Don't bounce balls on people's heads" and "Don't pull people's noses."
     As a retailing consultant, I was glad to see that Rule 1 was "Say hi to your teacher." A friendly, outgoing approach will take you far, whether it's with teachers, customers, or coworkers. According to research at University of British Columbia and INSEAD-Singapore, going beyond "Hi" to reveal information about yourself to others also helps. Maybe not Rule 15, "If someone says, 'How old are you?,' you have to say how old you are," but Rule 11, "If someone says, 'What's your name?,' you have to answer." In fact, I think customers should not even have to ask. Do you require your staff members to wear name tags?
     Molly's Rule 13 is "Never forget your lunch." My guess is that what she meant was to be sure you and your staff take breaks from the sales floor and pay attention to your health. Those are necessary prerequisites to following Rule 5, "Be happy," and Rule 6, "Don't spit at people."
     Still, of Molly's twenty-seven rules for learning, Rule 10 is by far my favorite: "If someone shouts, 'There's a rainbow!,' you have to look."
     On this first day of Chanukah and in this month of Christmas, I'm reminding myself of the importance of celebrating. I bring that up in case you and your staff would like to do the same.