Once upon a time, I used to work at Hobby Lobby. As an amateur sewist, being surrounded by fabric, paints, and stickers made me feel right at home.

While working as a cashier and department assistant, I interacted with new customers daily. When you’re in the thick of it, you take for granted how many people you talk to each time you clock in for a shift. The memory of most gets stashed away into the “I was just doing my job” file and never touched again. 

However, throughout hundreds of interactions, there’s one story that received its own file. It gave me a new insight into what showing kindness, genuine interest, and care as an employee can do, not only for the employer, but more importantly, the customer. 

My One-In-a-Million Recognition Story

During a shift, I was placed on one of the main registers, which essentially meant I was glued to the front-end of the store. But, even as a cashier, it wasn’t uncommon to multitask. We would tidy up around the registers and surrounding areas, answer phone calls, or direct customers when they inquired about a product. 

I had been keeping myself busy with various tasks during a slow period. Customers were milling about the store, but no one was ready to check out yet. All of the sudden, I heard a loud crash not too far away. Knowing immediately that something was broken, I moved to investigate the scene. 

A man and his two-year-old son stood before shards of glass sprawled out all over the floor. We kept our small, maybe two to three-inch tall, glass figurines displayed on glass shelves just outside the home decor section. I instantly made the connection that one of them must’ve been knocked off the shelving. The father had wisely taken his son into his arms to avoid any injury. 

Cleaning up after customers was nothing out of the ordinary. Though it wasn’t a daily occurrence, it was still amazing how many times I’d walk into an aisle and find some poor merchandise broken and left for naught without a second thought to it. 

But this man was incredibly apologetic. He explained that his son had reached for the figurine while he wasn’t watching and threw it on the ground. Continuously, he expressed his remorse, but I told him not to worry about it and went for the broom.

When I returned, I found him gently scolding his son over his actions. After sweeping up the glass, I reiterated that the incident was no biggy. Regardless, the man turned to his son and asked him to apologize to me by name. The man instructed the boy, who looked at me sheepishly, to repeat after him: “Miss Emily, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

At this point, my heart was bursting over how wholesome the action was. Leaning down I looked him in the eye, and with a smile, I said, “You’re forgiven. You’re completely forgiven.”

The man was intent on paying for the figurine, but I turned him down. Thankfully, our company was very lax about ruined merchandise. He protested, and I insisted. Accidents happen – and I would have been lying if I said I’d never broken anything before. 

We parted ways until he and his wife came to my register at the end of their shopping spree. His wife was very pregnant, and they were buying decorations for the nursery. They were both incredibly kind, ande held a pleasant conversation as I rang them up.

“What a sweet family,” I mused after they left the store. It was one of those occurrences that leaves an impression on your heart and a residue of happiness. It was a reward all in itself. 

I had thought nothing more of the exchange than that, until one morning, our customer service manager asked to speak with me.

I found out the father had been so moved by my behavior, that he wrote a letter to our corporate office praising it. He recalled in the email – which I still have a copy of to this day – the situation, and how he felt I embodied the beliefs of the company.

This email traveled all the way down from corporate headquarters, which oversees hundreds of stores in the U.S., through the hierarchy pipeline to our store manager. He was more than pleased, and our store got brownie points with our head-honchos. All because of a kind exchange between a cashier and a family, where I felt like I was just doing my job.

The Ultimate Mindset for Success 

So what was the mindset that led to this encounter?

In my view, at the time, it was the simple joy of helping someone; of sharing kindness between persons; of a father having a precious teaching moment with his son that I got to be a part of. 

But reflecting back on it now, I realize there was more to it than that: I cared about my work. At that moment, it didn’t really feel like work. It was one of those times when the job exceeded being “just a job” and I forgot I was on the clock.  

That’s what giving 100% can do. That’s what caring can do. 

Now, I may not have this type of experience every time I put 100% effort into my work. But, I believe this story encompasses the reward given to those who take on a fundamental mindset that is crucial to work life. 

That mindset is translatable to every area of business and work life, and it can be broken up into two parts:

Caring About the Result of Your Work 

It sounds simple, but the key difference between someone who sucks at their job and someone good at their job is whether or not they care about the result. 

Whether it’s stocking shelves, sweeping up shattered glass, writing a blog post, picking up a new skill, or even cleaning toilettes, care is important. 

Care about the result. Care about giving it your best.

There is endless self-satisfaction in that. 

Is it easy? Not really. Does it take work? Always. Is it rewarding? Well, that’s the best part. As long as you give something your all, you have no choice but to rest in whatever may be the conclusion. 

Gaining new opportunities, building trust between coworkers, moving up the ladder, personal contentment; all of these doors are unlocked when you put care into the work you’re doing, and into doing it well.

Remembering the Angels are Watching

People notice individuals who care about what they do. Most aren’t willing to be outspoken about it as the man with the figurine was. But, whether you get commended for your work or not, your coworkers, boss, and clients all take note of it.

Anytime I have moments where I feel lost, or giving 100% feels pointless, I come back to those words. I don’t know who’s watching. I don’t know what the seeds I sow into the universe will grow into. So, I keep moving forward and focusing on the path in front of me. 

… 

The experience with the man, his son, and the figurine will forever be in my memory’s hall of fame. It’s what reminds you that even when you’re “just doing your job”, someone is watching. Committing to doing your best in whatever you set out to do can be challenging. You can feel like it isn’t worth it, and wonder why you’re even trying so hard. But, in time, something will come along to remind you. 

When your hard work is rewarded, it makes it all the sweeter.