Being Nice

Tami — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 05:07:31 +0000

Never underestimate the power of being helpful. Though I advocate it in general, I’m not talking about giving food to the hungry or donating time to charities. I’m just referring to seeing something someone else is missing and helping them see it too. During Startonomics this happened twice. First, as I was existing the parking garage at UCLA, I noticed someone looking at a map. I walked over to him in a friendly manner and said “What are you looking for?”… he replied, “Korn Auditorium.” I smiled and said, “I’m going to Startonomics too, let me take you there.” Part of this encounter happened because I was a UCLA tour guide and feel obliged to help outsiders navigate the rolling hills of Westwood, but I just had an inkling he was headed where I was. It turns out that he is actually the CTO of one of the biggest tech companies in LA and was presenting that day, not exactly a person I minded knowing that I was a good helpful individual. The second instance was later in the day as I noticed that a fellow attendee’s white shirt collar had been stained by the red drink in her hand. I whispered to her the situation and then followed her into the restroom to assist her in removing the spot. She is the recruiter for another big tech company in LA, and having her on my side, again is beneficial. We bumped into each other at Twiistup this past week, and were able to laugh about our previous encounter. Would she have remembered me had we just met in passing, probably not as much.

Tami Reiss » nice

Being Nice