Do the Right Thing...

Too often we spend copious amounts of time focused on the negativity of things going on around us. While this time of year we seek to find the positive in the world - with technology and increasing access to information it seems there is no shortage of negativity we can find out there. For this story, we go way back to my beer bottle collection days as a youngster in a new housing development.

As I’ve written about before, I had a symbiotic relationship with the ‘workies’ as I called them. That relationship did not extend to everyone I met in my travels. One Sunday while scavenging for empty beer bottles, I came across a house under construction with an unmistakable noise coming from the basement - running water! I peeked down the makeshift stairs and saw the basement was flooded and heard the water gushing out of the pipes. Curious, I tried to see where it was coming from but couldn’t see anything but the darkness and water below. As I started to leave the house I heard a man yelling at me - “hey you!”. I got scared and ran home - only a couple of blocks away.

When I got home I told my dad about what I saw with the leaking water and how the man was yelling at me. He stopped what he was doing and simply told me to get in the car. When we got to the house the man was still there - I guess it was his house under construction and he was checking on it. He proceeded to bark at my dad about how I must have done the damage and how I was trespassing etc. A plumber and boilermaker by trade, my dad calmly descended into the basement and shut off the main water valve. By the time he ascended from the basement soaked up to his knees, my accuser had changed his tone. My dad told him the connection had been sheared off after the main valve and must have been leaking for a couple of days.

It was Sunday and in those days there was not much happening on weekends at those sites. He told him the water was coming in so fast the drains in the floor could not keep up and the construction debris was blocking the floor drain. My dad told me to get in the car and we drove home. He didn’t say anything in the car. The whole time we were in the car I thought I was in deep trouble. He never said a thing to me ever again, just that I did the right thing to come get him.

As I look back on that experience, it brings a few key things to mind:

See the Good in People: the guy chirping me at the house thought I had caused the damage. Not a terrible assumption since kids generally do not hang out in houses that are under construction. These days those sites are littered with security but back in those days there was none - a simpler time. The fact that he jumped to the conclusion is me being some kind of troublemaker are not that far fetched I suppose. That said, if he had of asked questions and taken a more exploratory tone vs the accusatory one things could have de-escalated much quicker.

Do the Right Thing: my dad had no obligation to help, he did so because he knew the issues of NOT acting were greater than doing something. His “get in the car” moment is one I still remember well. Like a first responder jumping into action, he knew he was needed to fix the issue and leapt in without hesitation.

Help Others: while doing the right thing is a call to action, helping others does not have to cost you anything and should be part of your core ways of working. From holding the door open for others to lending an ear for someone to vent to, there are lots of ways you can help. When you come from a place of genuinely wanting to help and support others, your life becomes much more simple as you learn to pay it forward by default.

Telling this story brings back many fond memories of my dad. Though he is long gone I still look back at this time in my life and am thankful for all he taught me. It’s the little things that matter - like doing the right thing when you have no obligation to do so. We all have ways we can help out others in need. Find yours and make it count.

Until next time, keep the faith and help others...

Jim McKay is a seasoned supply chain executive with over twenty-five years experience in leading and coaching others. From the shop floor to the board room to the ball diamond and hockey rink, those who know him know that he has a few stories to share about life and leadership. Through his 'Reflections' posts and 'Reflections of a Workaholic ' publications Jim shares his experience in transportation, supply chain and leadership through impactful and insightful stories that are meant to help and inspire others.

The commentary and opinions in these stories are his own...