I really admire my friend Russ. He is one of the kindest and most attentive people I know.
It’s not unusual to find a message on my cell phone. “Hi Bruce, this is Russ. I was just calling to say hello and see how you’re doing.” It takes him about a minute to do that, but it really makes my day to get the voice mail.
Recently Russ and I were talking about what it takes to make organizations hum. Again, he knows what people need in order to be encouraged and empowered.
I would summarize what he said in this way. 1) Take time to talk to people. Not e-mail. Talk. 2) Make sure that you don’t take people for granted. Let them know that they are important to you and bring value to your life.
I think that is good advice for any group of people.
