Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Idea

 

I’ve reached that magical age in life where one is strongly encouraged to undergo a colonoscopy, which I recently did. Sparing the minute details, this involved fasting the day prior, drinking a gallon of some awkward tasting fluid that kept me up all night as my digestive system cleansed itself. Good times.

 

I was hungry, sleep deprived, and nervous/stressed about this procedure, as I entered the hospital’s ground floor at a very early AM hour and looked around for the elevators. The hospital security guard, perhaps well accustomed to the sorts of myself looking as I did, smiled at me and said, “Good morning. Fourth floor, I assume. Elevators are over there and to your left.” This gesture was most certainly appreciated and somewhat lightened my mood.

 

When I reached the fourth floor and arrived at the reception desk, the intake nurse’s greeting was strikingly different; an indifferent face barely made eye contact with me as a single finger motioned for me to take a seat. I was then coldly asked my name, date of birth, and what procedure I was there for. No good morning, no smile, nothing. The only other words were, “Sign here.” I was then flatly told to “wait over there.” That was it. Whatever emotional lift and temporary relief I had derived from the security guard was quickly batted down by this indifference, only contributing to the stress of the situation, which was the last thing I needed.

 

Look, I understand people have bad days and that not every interaction can be perfect. I doubt the negative feelings I experienced as a result of this interaction were intentionally inflicted. Yet, a simple smile or simple “hello” can go a long way to help a hungry, tired, and stressed individual feel at ease. 

 

In many of the daily interactions we have with people we don’t know exactly what the mood of the other person may be, unlike in this context where there was no doubt. In the workplace moods can vary as widely as humanly possible, so it is that much more important to pay attention to the small details, to produce positive experiences through thoughtful workplace communication interactions. By taking that additional moment to make those small yet meaningful gestures, greetings, and salutations, we can all avoid unintentionally sending someone down the wrong emotional path, as was my experience.

 

In the end, although there were a couple “discoveries” in the procedure results, the calm and smiling demeanor of the doctor’s explanation allowed me to feel that there was no reason for major concern. Yet, it would take a few days to finally be told I was in the clear and I could feel a true sense of relief. However, if this doctor had explained the results with the same indifference the intake nurse had displayed, I may have spent the next few days feeling a much different way…a much different way indeed.