I remember a few years ago when I worked as a contact center agent for the biggest cable TV networks in Nigeria(a cheeky smug emerges). With such a large customer base, you'd expect also a high rate of irate customers. I guess ours was a tad too high. I always enjoyed speaking to people. Selling, being helpful, etc. I did my job diligently. One time we were having this talk with one of our supervisors (which usually happens every time) and he said something very profound. He goes;
It is easy to handle your customer without care, thinking your job is done after speaking with them, but you should also know that whatever you say/do has a ripple effect. When the customer reaches out again to us, the next agent would be the one to bear the brunt, and vice-versa.
I thought about that for days and then I came to the conclusion that those words are true words both at my job and in every sphere of life. We talk about changing the world all the time, but we forget that it starts with YOU; with ourselves. You have to do it one man at a time. The country is shitty? Well, start by changing your attitude towards your countrymen and the social amenities around you. And on, and on, and on.
Kindness as a tool to change
A few days ago, I got a gift from a friend, a very significant gift. It came in at a perfect time. I was struggling, and all that. Before then a former colleague of mine had reached out to me that he needed help with his school fees, and I told him I was cash-strapped at the time but would reach out if anything changed. Immediately I got the gift (by now you would have guessed it was a monetary gift), I thought about the lad. He was super thankful, and he got back to school. I charged him to always be kind. The kindness went on like a hierarchical chain through different people, and it doesn't stop with one person. This singular experience really helped me be more thankful and start the appreciate the gift of life and friends.
Before now I usually do this random act of kindness where I go to different places and try to help people as much as I can. I could just go to a supermarket and get summat for someone next to me, etc. It is always great seeing a smile on their face, sometimes even hearing a heartwarming story. Today, I charge you, dear reader, to go out there and do something kind. Love is a great thing. You don't have to go to a charity home to do something good. You don't have to do something monument. The slightest act of kindness can do wonders. Ah, thank you for coming to my TED talk. See you soon.
