Good Work Energy

I moved in to a new apartment last month. We hired movers because backs don’t last forever. Our movers were two young Hispanic guys — and at the same time we were moving in, there was construction going on in the building and two older Asian guys were moving stuff out.

As we were carrying boxes of books upstairs, they were carrying buckets of concrete downstairs. Every third trip or so there was a traffic jam. Normally this would have been a pain, but instead the Asian guys got out of our way and started yelling “faster, faster.” As we moved past them they would slap our backs, smile and laugh.

Soon the moving became a game and our speed picked up.

We saved the worst piece of furniture for last. A giant dresser that weighed a ton. As we struggled to get it around one of the stairwell landings, the Asian guys cheered us on; then they pitched in. With the added hands, the dresser flew to the top landing. In the end, few words were spoken, but one of our movers turned to me and said “Great energy here!”

It made me think about what kind of energy I bring to the workplace.

Some days your job will be long and taxing. Other days you’ll have less to do, but your co-workers will be struggling. In either scenario, it’s good to ask what kind of energy do you bring to the table? Do you make the day fly by or do you slow it down by dragging your feet?