By Jay Juffre
I own this very bright, very yellow winter jacket I wear whenever I travel north. Whether it be traveling to visit my family in New England or to a company location, my brothers, my peers and even my boss can’t resist poking a little fun at my vivid outerwear. For me, all this goes in one ear and out the other. Here’s why: I love that coat. Objectively, it is probably too bright and way too yellow, but whenever someone needs to pick me up curbside at the airport amongst a sea of humanity, they can easily spot me. In addition, it was designed to compress into a small ball. This means I can easily put it in a backpack or small overnight bag when traveling. It is ready to go, wrinkly free, whenever needed. The minute I get to the airport to travel back to Florida, it gets scrunched down and put away. Recently, I was up in Pennsylvania for a meeting. At lunch time I shot out for some Chick-fil-A. As I pulled around to the busy drive-thru window, I was greeted by not only my food, but also a compliment from the friendly attendant at the window, “Wow, I absolutely love your jacket!” Now you know and I know she may have been full of it, but I can’t tell you in words how good it made me feel. Despite that restaurant being completely mobbed, the woman at the drive through took the time to smile, thank and compliment me. Remarkable. How does your team deal with a busy or hectic situation in your business? Do they wear it on the sleeve where everyone knows how stressed they are? Coach your team to slow down just a little when they are interacting with others. One easy way is to give the person they are talking to a simple, sincere compliment. Everyone, including them, will feel a little better as they go through their day.
Jay Juffre is Executive Vice President, ImageFIRST. For more information on ImageFIRST, call 1-800-932-7472 or visit www.imagefirst.com.
