I read the "People in Business" section of the paper with great interest. My local paper puts the names in bold font, making it easy to spot people I know.
Why do I bother? Because people love to hear they have been noticed.
This weekend, for example, I saw a notice about one of my former University of Phoenix students. The announcement said she had been promoted to Branch Manager of the bank at which she works. (Another Phoenix on the rise!) I scanned the notice into my laptop and emailed it to her, with a note that said:
She had already told me about the promotion some weeks ago, and I had already sent my congratulations. There was no need to congratulate her again. But here's the cool thing: she had not seen the notice in the paper. Without my message, she might never have known it was there.
She sent me the following reply:
What a great payoff for both of us. She received the joy of seeing her name and picture in print. I received the joy of her joy. Will she remember that? Of course. Is that why I did it? No. I did it because I love to acknowledge my friends' achievements. But that response of hers makes it even better. It makes my day to put a smile on a friend's face.
Don't assume that folks have seen all the accolades that have been sent their way. Read the business people section of your paper, and when you spot a friend there, pass it along. You'll be glad you did - and so will they.
