One step at a time

I stared in disbelief as the young movers announced they couldn’t finish the job and walked out the door.?Items that were previously organized and waiting to be packed were strewn everywhere. The house looked like a tornado had hit it.

I was really angry and beyond frustrated. To make matters worse, the moving container was full, but the house wasn’t empty. If I couldn’t turn this around in less than 24 hours, we would miss celebrating the holiday with family and friends – which was not okay.

I went into damage control mode and started working the phone. I arranged for another moving container to be delivered. I talked with multiple packing and loading companies, trying in vain to find someone to step in at the last minute and clean up the first team’s mess.

And then the unexpected happened.

I got a call from Harold Booker who leads Helping Hands 4 U. I explained to Harold my situation. A seasoned pro with over 30 years of moving experience, Harold reassured me that despite the seemingly hopeless situation, all was not lost.

Harold told me: “I hear you" and "We’ve got you.” True to his word, Harold and his experienced partners Charlie and Roscoe showed up promptly on time the next day. They came in, carefully assessed the entire situation, and came up with a strategic plan to pack the empty moving container which had serendipitously arrived a few minutes before them.

Things were finally starting to fall into place. I could feel my emotions calming down as well. As I packed the remaining kitchen items, I listened as Harold coached his team to move an awkward and very bulky elliptical machine weighing hundreds of pounds up the basement stairs.

“All right, ready? 1, 2, 3, go! One step at a time … adjust a bit here ... move slightly up … that’s great … you got it, now stop and rest.” He continued facilitating each step, staying calm, cool, and collected.

After a bit, the team succeeded in getting the elliptical outside. The best part of all? I overheard Harold congratulate each team member on their success in working together. He thanked them for accomplishing what a team half their age couldn’t do. ?Simply put, this was one of the best demonstrations of leadership I’ve ever witnessed.

I’m deeply grateful to both moving teams for different reasons.

To the first, for helping me realize that ineffective movers make a highly stressful environment even more so and it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to be that way. ?

To Harold, Charlie, and Roscoe for demonstrating the experienced actions, strategic behaviors, and caring beliefs of effective movers.

In this season of gratitude, to whom or for what are you grateful? Drop a note in the comments below!

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