The Career Clinic Blog

I used to host a talk show on a cable-access station, and the manager of a local department store let me borrow outfits to wear on television. One of the gals who worked for him was nice, but she never smiled at me. I saw her two or three times a week, and I started wondering what the deal was. Did she hate her job? Or did she just not like some of her customers? Maybe she didn't like me. Maybe she thought my show was lame.

It wasn't that I needed her approval. But not getting that…registered.

Then one day I saw her smile at someone. She flashed a mouthful of teeth so crooked it was disorienting, because everything else about her appearance was flawless. It reminded me how little we know about each other’s stories. I vowed to be gentler, from that point forward, when sizing anyone up--myself included.