August 17, 2016 / in How To, Personal / by Jason Terry
Author: Jason Terry
This week, I thought I would share a story about something that happened to me recently. It’s a story about a random act of kindness that reminded me it doesn’t take much to make someone feel loved and respected. And it involves one of our clients, Umbrella Managed Systems.
We’ve been doing business with Umbrella since 2010 in various capacities. Umbrella has had a lot of success over the years and we’re honored to have played a small part in making that happen.
They’ve been in the Top 10 list of Network Support Companies in the Kansas City Business Journal’s Book of Lists since 2011 and they were #6 in 2016.
Last week, I was working with Umbrella on their blogging efforts. It was their first real month of storytelling with our help and we had a lot of things to get in place for the process to work. I was scheduled to be there until 2pm but ended up staying until after 5pm getting everything knocked out.
Heath Stover is one of the principals of Umbrella and is also my friend. We worked together all day in his office and he felt bad that it was taking so long to get everything done. He felt even worse when he overheard me talking to my wife Trista about pushing back our dinner plans. (Which wasn’t a big deal for us at all!)
So the following Monday, Trista got a special delivery at the hospital where she works. It was a beautiful flower arrangement with a note from Heath apologizing for keeping me late. She was so surprised! She called me to tell me the story and I could hear in her voice that it had made an impact.
And I got to thinking about what that simple gesture meant. It told me a lot about the value that Heath places on our relationship. It told me that he appreciates me and the work I do for them. It told me that we have a relationship that matters. And if you don’t know me that well, that’s really the most important thing to me in the world.
The cost of a flower arrangement (or Chiptole gift card, etc.) pales in comparison to the benefit you get from taking the time to do a random act of kindness for someone. An employee. A vendor. Your business partner. Whatever.
The challenge is finding those moments to be creative and make someone smile. It has to be something you keep in the back of your mind so that when the opportunity presents itself, you are ready to act. And then of course you have to follow through and take the time to act!
Find an opportunity in the next week to tangibly thank someone who makes a difference in your life. (If you already regularly do that, nice job! Share your stories in the Comments section below.) And if you accomplish that… try doing it every week…and then every month….for the rest of your life. I am 100% convinced it’s one of the ways you will find…and spread…true happiness.
P.S. – Heath, if you’re reading this… thanks man. I really appreciate it. See you soon for our next round of blogging!
We have worked with Blue Gurus since 2010, and in that time they've become trusted colleagues and friends.
"One thing becomes very clear soon after you meet Jason. He genuinely cares about you and helping your business. We have worked with Blue Gurus for more than six years and in that time they have become trusted colleagues and friends. Including our new LaunchKC website, they have guided us through four new Wordpress websites for our various initiatives at the Downtown Council.
In addition, they have taught us the importance of having a strong presence on social media and have helped us grow our audience on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Blue Gurus always makes this process very fun and affordable. I have not worked with a better team in my ten years at the Downtown, I am honored to call them business partners and friends."
Tommy Wilson
Program and Marketing Manager – Launch KC
