Reposted from Tim Richardson

Have you ever had one of the following experiences?

• Boarding a flight on a plane where your assigned seat is a middle seat and then finding your row entirely empty.
• Pulling into a downtown parking space where you notice there’s a lot of time left on the meter.
• Shuffling through that kitchen drawer and finding a forgotten gift card.
• Putting your hands in the pocket of a pair of jeans you haven’t worn in a while and finding unexpected money in your pocket.

We’ve all had positive, unexpected things happen to us before. My most recent “finding a wad of cash” made my day.

Here’s what happened.

A client who I worked with late last year emailed me to tell me that I hadn’t cashed the check from a late year speaking engagement. Indeed, the undeposited check was in my desk drawer, placed there during a very busy season. She had no idea that her simple communication would make my day.

This experience was a reminder about how our actions and words, particularly when unexpected, can make a huge impact on others. They can turn around a negative situation into a positive one or even change the trajectory of someone’s life.

Last week, I had a conversation with a client who had attended a conference where I had presented more than 15 years ago. He told me that his organization had benefited greatly from the presentation and cited specific benefits from my training.

He told me this story:

One of my staff members was underperforming. In fact, due to his poor performance, he was about to be fired. As I was thinking about how to have that difficult conversation, I thought back to a point you made in your presentation. I thought about the skillsets he had which were not utilized in his current position. That job wasn’t a good fit for him. I reassigned him to another position, one that complimented his natural talents. It didn’t take long for both of us to realize that he would excel in his new job. Eventually, he became one of the biggest superstars in our organization. It’s not uncommon for our customers to bring him coffee or doughnuts on occasion to thank him for the work he does. They love how passionately he performs his duties and the incredible energy he brings to work each day. 

My message from that 2010 presentation was this: Everybody has value. Excellent leaders identify the best traits on his or her team and figure out how to use them to the greatest benefit of the individual AND the organization.

If you are a leader and you aren’t doing that, you aren’t doing your job. Good leaders bring out the best in others. They look for unexpected opportunities to communicate encouragement and positive support. They regularly assess the needs of their organization and help their teams reach their full potential. They continuously look for ways to provide “a wad of cash in your pocket” experience for those around them and they repeat those moments frequently.

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