Let’s talk about establishing–and even changing–the atmosphere or attitude of significant numbers of people in a community. Sometimes, it’s little things–very little things–that can make a big difference.
Here’s how a neighbor of mine did that on our local pedestrian and bike trail. Katy Trail is a beautiful urban trail that covers some 3.5 miles from the lovely SMU campus in the most affluent neighborhood in Dallas, to American Airlines Center (home of the Mavericks and the Stars) in downtown.
It’s lovely, but often filled and even crowded with mostly affluent “type A” folks who, shall we say, are often not as friendly to each other as they might be. (Me included, at times!) Bikers get frustrated with slow moving, three-abreast walkers or joggers lost in the the music in their ear buds. Walkers meanwhile resent bikers hollering “On your left,” or ringing obnoxious sounding bells, to get them to move over. Many folks on the trail seem pre-occupied, even troubled or stressed.
Enter Dr. Joyce Moore Duncan, a retired high school counselor, who has managed to significantly change the atmosphere on the trail, at least when she’s riding her bike there, as she recounts here in our neighborhood newsletter. Inspired by a workshop she’d attended on building on people’s strengths, she started doing a social experiment.
Instead of saying “On your left” or ringing her bell, she tried a new approach, calling out “Good morning” as she passed. She found that walkers were noticeably more cooperative in moving aside for her to pass. Some even looked over their shoulder with a smile or even a “good morning” back.
Inspired by that outcome, she then developed a strategy for improving encounters with those approaching from the other direction. Typically, people passing each other avoid eye contact or make it only briefly with a neutral expression and then look down. Dr. Duncan started lifting the four fingers on her left hand, while leaving her thumb on the handle bar, in a subtle “Hi Hello” gesture–similar to the way country folks will say “Hi Hello” when passing each other in cars. Result? The expressions on passers-by seemed to brighten, with many smiling back, waving or even saying hello. As Dr. Duncan put it, “What a rush of excitement and joy instead of frustration.”
Her rides on Katy Trail went from an often frustrating experience followed by stewing about stubborn or oblivious walkers she’d encountered, to a joy-filled experience that is often the highlight of her day. And very likely, a better experience for the many people she encounters in these ways.
Look at the bare minimum of effort Dr. Duncan spent in creating such a huge impact in her interactions with a large number of people. When you think about your customers, and improving their experience with you and their lives in general, remember, little things can make a big difference.
PS, I’m going to start applying this same strategy on the Trail myself, and will let you know how it works out in a subsequent post.
