A Drop of Honey
A drop of honey," they say, "catches more flies than a gallon of gall."
As kids crave appreciation, our need for it, even as adults, is no less than kids' desire for it. Without it, we'd wither; with it, we bloom like a flower by the riverbank.
“When in Rome, conduct business as the Romans."
After my mandatory youth service, I secured a job as an IT manager in one of Nigeria's busiest city, Lagos. My first day at work, I began to pick up cues. I'm usually keen on reading between the lines, always. The first person I met from the day I dropped my CV, I knew must be occupying a position of authority in the company.
And that's how I met Ability, the factory manager. Ability was a very nice person, dramatic, and just fun to be around. He loved his position as the factory manager so much and had an uncanny enthusiasm. He would be the first to come to work and the last to leave. The CEO liked his work spirit; he would always reference Ability's loyalty, and Ability would always tell us how he was part of building the company from scratch. He would playfully reaffirm his position in the company, and we'll occasionally use it to flatter him.
I liked him for his playful nature, but some of my colleagues had their issues with him. I later discovered that Ability sings and he's an artist too; he's good with drawings. One day, curious about the music he creates, I asked for his stage name. He shared it with me. That evening, when I got home, I looked him up online and found a profile of him with a link to his song. I listened to and downloaded the track. The next day, I connected my phone to my PC's speaker and played the song. It was on repeat, and soon, other colleagues began to ask, 'Who's the artist?' 'It's Ability,' I replied, and some went 'Wow!'
Few minutes later, he walked in and heard the song playing. It was a big surprise to him, and you could see it written all over his face. He rushed over to my desk to ask what i think about the song. I said it's quite good and went ahead to inquire why he didn't pursue a career in music. He couldn't hide his excitement.
Long story short, Ability was very happy, and from that day, we grew closer. He would always check on me, assist in accessing any needed information effortlessly, and would often hype me for no reason.
Before he eventually left the company, he had done so much good for me that I feel I owe him. He had his excesses, as we all do, but that experience taught me these lessons: First, that no one is immune to praise, and a little act of kindness is like a fisher's bait that could get you the biggest catch. If you show appreciation for my craft, then I feel valued and would reciprocate generously. Lastly, genuine praise is like a soothing balm; it nourishes the receiver as it, in turn, does the giver.
