Unsolicited recommendation

A long time ago at the Federal Reserve Bank a vice president called me into his office. He asked me about my opinion regarding an employee policy change that had nothing to do with my position. It was important to him that I was on board with the change. For some reason to him my opinion was valuable or possibly dangerous and that told me I had unofficial power of influence.

That unofficial power came from my working there for so long. It came from knowing everyone and talking to everyone. Not from my official position.

As a mature man I have unofficial power of influence that has nothing to do with anything except what's happening in other people's minds, and my age, and their perception of me. Perfect strangers call me sir. Every day.

Yesterday the office manager asked if she could put a box that came in the mail for me into my backpack that I was wearing. She had the box. She took the box from the mailman instead of the mailman putting it into a separate lock box. She had difficulty putting it into my backpack as I was wearing it. Two men in her employ offered to take the box up to my apartment. They headed out before me. The box was at my door when I got there.

This unofficial power can be used to help people.

Yesterday I stopped at a sandwich shop just a few buildings north on the same block where I live. I don't know why I don't go in there more often.

A tall young male was wiping tables. I was the only customer in the place. Then the guy wiped the soda dispensing machines. Then he walked up to the cashier station. He answered my questions about their menu.  He assembled the prepared sandwiches and bagged them for telephone orders. Then he went back to the kitchen that shows through glass so we can watch them make sandwiches. He assisted the cook, scooped the coleslaw into containers and snapped on the lids. Then he came around to the front and bagged them and rang them up.

He was all over the place.

He behaved as if the whole place is his responsibility, from busboy to assembler, to sous chef, to cashier and public relations.

"What is your biggest sandwich?"

     "The wanderlust chicken sandwich."

"That's what I'll get next time. What's in your coleslaw?"

     "Granny Smith apple, jalapeño, apple cider vinegar, honey, buttermilk, cabbage, shredded carrots."

"How tall are you?"

     "Six-four"

"You look like a regular guy who was stretched upward like taffy."

He laughed. He could have been offended. He could have said, "Hey, what's with the personal question?"

"I'll bet that you surprised your parents when you hit the growth spurt."

     "My dad is six-six so they were expecting it."

Good Lord.

We conversed a bit more. The whole episode was pleasant. The young man really knows how to handle the public. He stayed busy the whole time. He knew what is required to make the place run smoothly better than I did at his age. Watching him awhile, he surprised me.

Back at the same shop today there was a different guy working. An older guy who was directing other people. I got the sandwich the previous guy recommended as the largest they have. (They're the same size, it's just loaded with more coleslaw)

I asked this next guy if the previous tall guy was manager because he acts like one. It wasn't busy when I was there, but he stayed busy the whole time. Not nervously, just always looking to be at the best spot to be the most productive at each moment. I described his behavior the way that I saw it. I gave him a complimentary report unsolicited. I hope they make him a manager because judging by what I saw he deserves it. The second guy thanked me for saying so. He was pleased that his employee is noticed as better than the usual employee.

And the whole time I was talking to him another employee stayed put at the bagging spot assembling orders into bags and just standing when there was nothing to do. She overheard our entire conversation. My description of his work habits had zero affect on hers. As if she was brand new and was sticking to the one thing that was explained to her.

The whole time I was talking to the guy in charge I was thinking about her, "aren't I making you jealous of him by detailing all the things that I noticed he does that you don't do?" But my magical words that I hope to affect the guy in charge had no affect on her. Perhaps she didn't dare.

But that's the difference between regular employee and employees with managerial potential. The workers with potential look for things they can do.

He's young. Very young. If the manager hasn't been considering him for advancement maybe now he will. It would make a difference to him. Such is the unofficial power we bear to affect the lives of other people, however minor.