An email arrived in my inbox from a woman who worked at Rachel’s Brownies, the business that my wife started and we owned and operated until 1989. 
Annette was a young, 15-year-old girl with purplish nails who came in looking for a part-time job helping out in the bakery. We never hired people with experience in bakeries. Instead, we hired people who were kind, smart, and demonstrated self-motivation. She met those qualifications and was always on time and could outwork every person who was hand wrapping each of our precious little brownies. She had an eye for detail and everyone enjoyed working with her. From washing pans to moving large racks of brownies around, Annette always demonstrated a strong work ethic and a commitment to excellence.
We exchanged family updates recently, and she couldn’t believe that we had become grandparents, or that Sarah, our older daughter, was married with a beautiful baby named Bodhi Kai. Annette remembered Sarah coming to our Malvern, PA bakery with her first-grade class for a tour. This was around the time when we got to meet President Reagan but that’s another story.
Sweet Memories
We gave the kids bakery hats and aprons, and we gave them a tour of the big vats of brownie batter. Baskets of crayons were at each table so they could decorate their bakery hats. Each of them got to scoop some cookie dough onto a big baking sheet so that they could take home a few cookies. It was quite a memorable party for both Sarah and Fanny, whose birthdays were in October and weeks apart.
Annette said that she distinctly remembers what we said:
“I remember a speech you gave to Sarah’s class of mostly young girls. You and your wife told them that girls could do anything if they put their mind to it. What you said may have been for the children, but it stuck with me throughout my career. I always remember the feeling of encouragement you gave me.”
Over the years, Annette’s responsibility at Rachel’s Brownies grew in our business, and eventually, she 
became the assistant plant manager. She helped planned production, manage people, order ingredients, and paid close attention to quality control. Annette earned the opportunity to have more responsibility, and our associates all respected her diligence.
Today, Annette has a leadership position with a large company. Her note reminded me of the remarkable impact businesses can have on individuals. Often, we don’t realize the difference we can make in someone’s life with a simple word of encouragement or a gentle push in the right direction.
Maya Angelou wisely said,
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
You may be proud of your professional accomplishments, but over time, what endures is how you made people feel.
Who have you encouraged today so that they feel special?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com The conversation is free, and we can explore working together.
