Stories from my past: A generous Christmas gift

good vision

I have had the good fortune to work with many intelligent, interesting, and dynamic people. I have even received very generous gifts for Xmas, but this is my favorite and I think you will soon see why.

good visionIt is difficult for people who don’t have experience with technology to often do the complex things that they are asked to do. They are intelligent and know how to do the process, but when software/system/security often changes it can be challenging to do their job. For many people, the change from the old Microsoft Office interface to the ribbon interface took a while to get mastered. You can’t blame people for things that require change. However, people often feel dumb when they don’t immediately understand or have the mastery they once had. I read that it takes a genius 3 times things repeated to understand something, and the average person needs 5 times or more repetition. I tell them if they can understand it after 3 times of being shown they are a genius!

So I shared that so I could share this. One of my clients who was a mature woman who hadn’t had much experience with computers was asked to do complex tasks in a challenging environment. I helped her walk through the process because it often changed. So when she called me to her office I expected I was going to help her again. However, instead, she gave me a generous and expensive Christmas gift and when I said that the gift was too generous she said “You are worth this gift.” I was surprised. She continued “I have worked in other companies and many IT people are mean and don’t have your patience. I appreciate you making me feel smart and respecting me.” I thanked her. The best gift isn’t what you receive but when others appreciate who you are.

See also  Its ok to feel uncertain, confused, anxious and whatever you feel.