A few days ago I had occasion to go into a local business.\u00a0 As I entered the building, a chorus of hellos rang out from the employees of the business.\u00a0 \u201cHello, welcome to _________!\u201d\u00a0 \u201cHello, how are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I know that the employees had been trained to welcome customers as they came in the door, that it was not just a spontaneous welcome meant especially for me, but it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 I still felt welcomed.\u00a0 I felt important.<\/p>\n
How does that relate to \u201ccharacter in business?\u201d<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t it true that a business takes on the character of the people who make it up?<\/p>\n
One quality that helps to define who we are as persons, is joyfulness, which has been defined as \u201cmaintaining a good attitude even when faced with unpleasant circumstances.\u201d\u00a0 Another quality is hospitality, which is cheerfully sharing food, shelter, or conversation to benefit others.\u201d<\/p>\n
The employees of the business mentioned above demonstrated both joyfulness and hospitality in their greetings to me as I came in the door, and it made me feel good and helped to produce a very pleasant experience with that business.<\/p>\n
Businesses thrive on good will.\u00a0 The more \u201cpleasant experiences\u201d we can create in our businesses, the better off our businesses will be.<\/p>\n
Have you ever been in a store and felt that you were being ignored by the employees?\u00a0 No one acknowledged your presence.\u00a0 Maybe, after a while, you just left.\u00a0 It certainly was not a \u201cpleasant experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Have you ever dealt with a checkout person who seemed to have his\/her mind on something else?\u00a0 Did you feel slighted?\u00a0 Did it make you want to come back to that business again?\u00a0 No, more likely the employee\u2019s lack of attentiveness\u00a0 made you feel that you would prefer to just avoid that business in the future.<\/p>\n