Dooley Noted: 9/19/2015
After sitting in traffic yesterday for 1.5 hours, I managed to make it to security at JFK airport.
Somehow, I got cleared for TSA Precheck.
No shoes off.
No computers out.
And that wasn’t even the great part.
The TSA employee, Jas, was making everyone crack up as they passed through.
As I stepped into the scanner, he passed me through but stopped me.
He asked me, with a straight face: “How many Jamaicans have you hugged today?”
I said, “Zero, I believe.”
We then preceded to bear hug each other as people clapped around us.
This exuberant, fun TSA employee made me feel like airport security was the highlight of my already satisfying day.
I watched the employees at adjacent lines, going through the motions and not connecting with anyone that passed.
I wondered how they worked next to Jas every day, not working to be more like him.
If you choose to work in customer service, I hope you’re more like Jas.
He was one of the happiest men I’ve met all week, and he was in control of how he felt and how he helped others to feel.
And it was all found at my local TSA.
You can go through the motions and do your job as mundane routine.
Or, you can raise the bar and have a fun routine at work while you help others have fun, too.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley
