Sometimes All You Need to do is Wear a Hat
“Go ahead, make my day!” Harry Callahan, as played by Clint Eastwood, Sudden Impact
This morning while getting dressed to take the kids to school, I decided to wear a hat. I don’t often wear hats, but we were running a bit late and it was faster than combing my hair. I went into my closet and pulled down the bin of hats. I grabbed the first one that I saw, my trusty Denali Brewing Company hat that I purchased about eight years ago in Talkeetna, Alaska. As I went to put the hat bin back into its place, I noticed another hat. It’s a black baseball cap with silver stitching that reads, “Super Dad.” I put my brewing hat back in the bin and put on my super dad hat. From there I went out to the kitchen and made some coffee. Then I purposely headed back to my room knowing what would happen next.
My six-year-old son was getting dressed in his room. He looked up and saw me and then he saw the hat. A huge grin broke across his face and he gave me a knowing nod. He was beaming. In 2017, he gave me that hat as a Christmas present. He was so proud that he had chosen it by himself. I knew wearing that hat again today would make his day. So that’s what I did.
It took me about three seconds of thought to decide to wear the hat and make him happy. While he is a child, and making his day is incredibly easy, I would argue it’s not that much harder for adults. As a leader, you have opportunities every single day to make someone’s day. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture or a hugely involved project. Sometimes all it takes is bringing someone a cup of coffee or asking how their weekend went or complimenting them. There’s a million different actions that we can take on a daily basis to brighten the world for team member. As a human being, this is something that I hope you feel called to do. As a leader, I believe it is something that you must do.
In the corporate world, it can be so easy to feel as if you are just another cog in the machine. Even if you are successful, it very well may have been drilled into your head that “anyone is replaceable.” And while in the working world that often may be the truth, it doesn’t exactly warm our hearts. This is where those little things come into play. You see, when I surprise a team member with a box of Keurig cups that I know are their favorite, or I tell another to take off thirty minutes early because I know they have big plans that night, I am doing much more… I am telling them I see you, and you matter.
And that frankly is what every person needs to hear. They need to know that another person sees them for who they are and believes that they are valued. Worried you don’t know your employees or teammates well enough to make their day? That’s cool… Now get to know them. Have a conversation, go to lunch. Have a one-on-one meeting. You’ve got options.
Try to remember that at every company — even the best ones — it can be a challenge to recognize every employee and make them feel valued. Frankly, at a large enough company, it is impossible for the CEO or other executive leaders to truly take actions that make each individual feel seen. But you have the power to do that in your sphere of influence. That’s where it has to start.
This blog comes with a call to action. I want each of you reading this to find someone on your team and do something to make their day. Again, it can be something small. And if you don’t have a team of people working for you, then do something for a peer. Next week, do something for another person. Put it on your calendar if you need to, but please find a way to remind yourself to make someone’s day.
Sometimes it’s as easy as just putting on hat.
-Jason