For about the last 3 weeks there has been a continuing post about an occurrence in the nation's capital from 2007 as part of an experiment of the Washington Post. You can see the link at . So here is my question how many of us go through the same kind of situation at work. How many of us as managers in or out of the HR staffing area tend to ignore what is going on around us?
Everyday we witness people within our organizations who are doing outstanding things with the tools we provide them. They are producing for our organizations above and beyond what we expect. Our usual response is a cavalier attitude which basically says that's great but you really do not need to spend the extra time. Do not spend the extra time to make a customer feel like the organization cares. Do not spend the extra time to assist your fellow employee because it might send the wrong message--What ever the wrong message is.
If we expect our human capital to be engaged in our organization we need to take the time to recognize the worth of our employee base and respect those who go out of their way to do more than just getting by.
For those of you who have not seen the story behind the above thoughts, see below:
"In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule. About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly. At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. After one hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music. This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. This experiment raised several questions: In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? If so, do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made… How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?"
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