This is a blog by a former CEO of a large Boston hospital to share thoughts about negotiation theory and practice, leadership training and mentoring, and teaching.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Iced Coffee
Cool down from politics for a minute and read this story by Jessica Lipnack. You will be glad you did.
Jessica I got an email feed from Paul's Runningahospital blog and read this story. Two days ago, I drove from Boston to DC - stopped on the way and picked up my brother-in-law. My wife and his wife (my wife's sister) took the train. We stopped for gas twice - the first time I went in to get a coffee. A young lady was getting coffee and did not have enough. She turned to me and said "Excuse me, do you have a quarter?" just as I was saying to the clerk, "take it out of my change and by the way, would you like a muffin?" I asked the young lady. She demurred. Brother in law did not offer to pay for gas -- either time. We played golf - after the round, he asked "would you like to have a beer?" I said "Sure." He went in, bought a beer for himself while I was washing my hands! I bought my own beer - this is the first time in all the years of playing golf that someone (either one of my playing partners or I) has asked about a beer and not paid - it all evens out. Hey, it takes all types. As another sign of the times, we were in church (his grandson's Christening brought us here). For a person who finds organized religion repugnant, it was particularly troubling when the assistant to the priest announced, "And now, we'll pass the baskets around for a second collection to support Catholic Charities and we appreciate your generosity." Not many people double doffed.
Ah well ... as I walked out, I gave the panhandler the money I might have put in the second collection. He said "God Bless you." I thought "It's highly unlikely that SHE will bless ME."
Paul
ReplyDeleteI left this on Jessica's blog:
Jessica
I got an email feed from Paul's Runningahospital blog and read this story.
Two days ago, I drove from Boston to DC - stopped on the way and picked up my brother-in-law. My wife and his wife (my wife's sister) took the train.
We stopped for gas twice - the first time I went in to get a coffee. A young lady was getting coffee and did not have enough. She turned to me and said "Excuse me, do you have a quarter?" just as I was saying to the clerk, "take it out of my change and by the way, would you like a muffin?" I asked the young lady. She demurred.
Brother in law did not offer to pay for gas -- either time.
We played golf - after the round, he asked "would you like to have a beer?" I said "Sure."
He went in, bought a beer for himself while I was washing my hands! I bought my own beer - this is the first time in all the years of playing golf that someone (either one of my playing partners or I) has asked about a beer and not paid - it all evens out.
Hey, it takes all types.
As another sign of the times, we were in church (his grandson's Christening brought us here). For a person who finds organized religion repugnant, it was particularly troubling when the assistant to the priest announced, "And now, we'll pass the baskets around for a second collection to support Catholic Charities and we appreciate your generosity." Not many people double doffed.
Ah well ... as I walked out, I gave the panhandler the money I might have put in the second collection. He said "God Bless you." I thought "It's highly unlikely that SHE will bless ME."
Cheerz...Bwana