Subtlety To Bring A Smile

A sunny day, the Big Apple skyscrapers are standing tall and shining bright as usual. On my way to the office, snacking my breakfast, I was thinking of the previous day’s scenario at the office. We all have this one cranky coworker in our workspace who is ever complaining. Anna my secretary is famous for behaving like an old irritated granny. The perennial look of disgust on her face has lately offended my team members. Some of them came up and complained regarding this yesterday, expressing their disapproval for her demeanor.

How do you bring this up with someone who has been an amazing team member for so long? I had to do it very subtly. Smile Power Day is here and all I had in my mind was to make Anna smile and not let her continue with that agitated look on her face. So I called Megan for lunch and looked forward to her suggestions for the matter.

Both of us knew that this had to be done in a way so that she discerns the fact without being hurt. Munching on the doughnut, Megan said, “Maybe you could ask the whole team to write those cute messages along with some heart melting pictures and some nice chocolates.” “It’s a great idea, Megan!” I replied.

My team welcomed this idea and we did as planned. We scattered the notes and chocolates on her desk. Notes with cute pictures of grumpy cat and minions were all kept nicely on her desk while some were pinned to the soft board. My team members agreed to bring it up in a pleasant way. They showed such a good team spirit!

When Anna came in and discovered the colorful short notes and chocolates she was taken aback. As she started reading the snippets, I could see that the usual look of exasperation was fading away. The last note she read was mine, on a blue paper I had written:

This is to brighten up your day,

The crankiest one in my team!

How I wish you kept that wide curve on your face, the beautiful smile of yours, all throughout the day!

You greet me with a ‘Good Morning’ wish every day,

From,

Bob!

Anna looked around and saw that the entire team’s gaze was fixed on her including mine which she noticed from the glass door. After five seconds she gave a wide smile to everyone.

She walked into my cabin and said, “Thank You, Bob, for making me realize how difficult I get for you all. I am sorry about it and from now on I am never going to be the grumpy cat anymore, I promise,” she said. “All thanks to you for understanding, Anna,” I said. She smiled and got back to work.

A smile in exchange for a smile helps in building trustworthy relationships and creating a better environment. Starting the day with it makes us feel energized and happy. It brightens up the day for the people around us. We don’t need any specific reason for that wide curve on our face. It can be simply done to feel better! Gracing the face with a grin helps to have a longer life, relieve stress and stay positive. Somewhere deep down, it symbolizes hope and a never give up spirit. So, keep smiling!

Let us know how you made someone smile!