Pulse of UTMC

I’d like to introduce you to somebody I met this morning.

This morning I was heading from my daily radiation treatment to my office and coming up a stairwell. A custodian stepped aside and said something I couldn’t quite understand. I stopped, asked him to repeat himself, and he told me that he always stops to let a woman pass. I joked that the two of us had plenty of room to pass each other, but he said his gesture was made out of respect.

Now I’m not exactly a “traditional” woman in the stereotypical sense, but I found this man’s manners to be refreshing. What was even more refreshing is that his kind gesture was a catalyst for a short conversation. Noticing an unfamiliar accent, I asked where he was originally from. I learned that Rudolph (who, I found out from two of his co-workers later goes by “Rudy) came to the United States from Ghana in West Africa (he’s got a great accent, by the way).  He asked what department I work in and where my office was.

John Nance, author of Why Hospitals Should Fly, visited our campus this summer and made numerous presentations to students, faculty and staff. He talked about the importance of mutual respect and personal connections in a hospital setting, and how it ultimately can result in safer care for patients.

Rudolph and I aren’t treating the sick or injured, necessarily, but we engaged.  That may not seem like a very big deal, but it was to me. You see, now I will always make eye contact and say hello to Rudolph when I see him. If there’s a piece of trash on the floor, I will think, “Maybe I ought to help Rudolph out and pick this up.”

So, I ask those of you reading this – would you be willing to share ways – however small – that you engage with the folks with whom you work? Or maybe share a new habit you’ve decided to make in order to be more engaging with the folks around you.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!