Tiny things matter in a very large way

I have not written an article in quite some time. I guess I was lacking inspiration. It's a bit poetic that this is exactly what this one is about: inspiration.

I have written about my mentorship experiences before and while this is not about mentorship itself, it's connected to that self-awareness journey mentorship programs provide. It′s about how small things can have a big impact.

The story begins a couple of years ago when I emailed a leader in my organization (you know who you are) asking for a formal mentorship opportunity. I got an out of office message that blew my mind! In fact, I never read automated messages, but this particular one was so creative, so funny and so out of the box of what I considered corporate standards, it caught my attention.

Here′s this accomplished and respected leader being silly in the big corporate world. It triggered a million questions in my mind.

Are we allowed to be sassy and funny at corporate? Are we allowed to break the mold and write a crazy out of office message? Have I become so boring that I am even questioning this?

This gave me the confidence to embrace my out of the box thinking and personality. This simple out of office message showed me that it′s okay to not fit into corporate molds and still be a professional. It made me question concepts of what do corporate stands really mean. Boring isn't it, it′s quite the opposite to me. Corporate should be vibrant, diverse, curious and innovative. What a break through moment this was for me.

Inspired by her bravery, I decided to play along with my own messages and it evolved to the birth of Donna, the personality behind my internal automated out of office messages. She gets noticed and I often get fun and positive replies with refreshing feedback from my colleagues.

For your own amusement, I share some of Donna′s latest appearances:

Hello! Surprise, this is not Tati! My name is Donna, the personality behind the automated message responder. Fun fact: Tati and I are never, EVER on duty at the same time. (Mind blown, right?). I spend the vast majority of my time sitting around waiting for Tati to take a vacation or an all-consuming business trip so I can take over her inbox management. That is precisely what′s happening. Tati is on vacation, so this is my time to shine and manage this gig like a boss. #donnarocks. I will be running the show until she returns on May 2nd. She better not reply to any messages until then and steal my moment and my only purpose in life. Anyways, thanks for reaching out and if you need help from a human, please reach out to this person.

Hello! It′s me again. If you haven′t met me, my name is Donna, the personality behind the automated message responder. This time we have a double whammy. Tati is attending an event and then taking a vacation, so I will be around for a couple of weeks! Yay me! #donnarocks. I will be running the show until she returns on July 13th. She will likely respond to some e-mails on week 1, but on week 2, she better not reply to any messages and allow me to be on the spotlight! Anyways, thanks for reaching out and if you need help from a human, please reach out to?this person.

Hello again! Guess who′s back? Donna is in the house.?If you haven′t met me in email land yet, I am the personality behind Tati′s automated message responder. I have been bored since she went to that event in June, so it was about time she took some time off and let me take over her inbox. Tati is out on a nature trip to the mountains to decompress. Unlike me, if you care, you can follow her on social media. She will obviously have her phone and internet, but she is forbidden to work while I run the show. I will be around until August 29th, so enjoy my blissful moment in the spotlight, while short, flawless! I will be replying to all her emails until then! #donnaisarockstar. Anyways, thanks for reaching out and if you need help from a human, please reach out to this person.

Unbeknownst to my mentor, a movement was born, maybe even a revolution, who knows? This is why I am sharing this story. Maybe it inspires someone else to try something different, to make life a little more fun and not always fit in a mold. We are all capable of greatness by being ourselves.?

Poetically once again, I will leave you with the thought of the day I wrote this article (September 1st) from the 2022 "You are a BADASS" calendar, a gift from another very talented leader I have the pleasure to work with: "Next time you′re feeling lazy or like you've too much going to do more, remember that all the tiny bits matter in a very large way".

This is a small thing that inspired me in so many bigger ways. While it seems silly, and even if all it does is make people smile, that is reward enough for me.?