The Coronavirus outbreak which started in Wuhan, China is now affecting people in pretty much every country in the world. It is passed by close contact with others and demonstrates that what we pass onto others -both bad and good- can impact countless others who we will never meet. It’s a Trail Tip to remind us of the “good” impact we can pass onto others by close contact. Knowing that my actions will not only affect those I come in contact with, but these actions will be copied and pass on…
In Hiking, what are the positive things I pass onto others I hike with and see on the trails? Do I take the time to wait for others that are slower than me? Do I take time to greet others on the trail and look for body language that might reflect they are lost or don’t know where they are going? Am I flexible to adjust a route hike when others want to explore a trail that may just be new to them? Do I offer to lead and invite others to go on hikes with me? And do I set an example by picking up discarded items on a trail and make sure I pack out everything I take on a hike?
In my personal life, I pass on things to family members, neighbors, and others in my community. Which, like the case in Wuhan, starts local but has a world wide impact. Do I notice the small things that family members do around the house and call them out to praise them? Do I take time to get off the couch to greet family and other people when they come to our home? My dog, Auggie runs to greet EVERYONE!!! Do I pass on common curtsies when I’m out and about? Pay it forwards come to mind here.
At work, what am I passing onto others? Here my attitude and body language speak LOUD and CLEAR. Or as my wife, Arlene has told me. “Look in a mirror and watch how your facial expressions come across.” At work, we tend to formalize our Scorecard/performance reviews; having them on a structured schedule. The spread of the coronavirus isn’t structured and neither should be our responses to others. When someone does a good/great job with an internal or external interaction/deliverable (small or large), take a minute in the moment to let them know how well they performed. When someone is having a bad day or a bad meeting, take time to offer them some comfort with their favorite food or beverage (within work policy limits of course). But to do this, like the coronavirus, you have to be “close to them”, to know what they like.
Both good and bad, we touch others with our lives every day. Some things are spread without us thinking about them and other require deliberate action to spread them. And it not just spreading it to one person. Our actions and attitudes are copied and spread to several others down the human chain of life. What are you going to spread to others today, this week, this month, this year?
Al Andersen 