Queenie, Queenie, Queenie

A friend sent me an email with 5 important lessons in life. Each lesson tells a personal story by an anonymous writer. I want to share with you the 1st one, and my personal experience attempting to apply it.

First Important Lesson - The Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned hername was Dorothy.

My Personal Experience

When I was in an organization, I was a Branch Head where I made an effort to learn my staff's names. When I shook hands with one during an introduction, I would always make a point of asking his or her name very carefully, sometimes even spelling it, and then saying the name a couple of time while still holding on to the staff’s hand.

Apart from imprinting the name deep into my memory, I had also read somewhere that such an action by the management would impress the staff member as to the boss’ genuine interest in his staff – good for staff morale and all that.

There was a sweet typist who just joined my Branch. So I made that effort to welcome her. The cutie's name was Queenie, so after I prised that out of shy her, I rolled her name in my mouth gently, saying out "Queenie, Queenie, Queenie" with a deep thoughtful look, as if I was slowly printing her name letter by letter in medieval-style calligraphy in my mental bank, hoping to indeed convey to her my sincere managerial care.

She looked at me strangely and said rather quickly "I'm already engaged, sir!"

Hmmm, maybe I did hold on to her hand too long? But as I have often mentioned, my best sincere smile would frequently be still seen as a roguish leer to women. So perhaps my effort to project my managerial care must have been viewed by her as the salivating growl of one hungry ‘wolf’.


Blast, or should it be Howl-l-l-l-l ........