Leave things a little better than you found them

Story time:

  • A man in an upscale suit washes his hands in an airport public restroom.
  • Instead of just leaving, he uses a paper towel to meticulously wipe down the wet sink counters.
  • When a bystander jokingly asks about the "well-dressed help," the man replies: "Why not leave it a little better than you found it?"

The best part? It tends to be viral and infectious as the bystander does the same before leaving and hopefully so do most of us.  

Found one or two unwashed cups in the office sink and have 3 minutes? It's someone elses responsibility won't work here. All of us should take the opportunity to help when needed. 

Not only with our physical environments but also the atmosphere. Let us be the kind of people uplift the atmosphere better than we found it.

How we do things around here

  • Leaders eat last
  • Managing upwards
  • Search-driven development
  • Building on the shoulders of giants

Further Examples

The rule of 3rds - mentors, peers and mentoring

The importance of having mentors, peers, and mentees at different stages of life. It encourages a balanced approach to relationships, valuing wisdom from mentors, support from peers, and the opportunity to mentor others.

Curiosity, learning and change as a muscle that needs to be exercised

And just as a muscle needs movement before atrophy so does our mind and brain. Sure, feel free to start going to the gym at your 40’s, 50’s’s or eve 60’s. It’s not impossible but it will be harder. Being curious is a mindset and provides de initial impetus to affect change. Learning news ways of thinking and doing which catapult change. The more you change your mind, the easier it becomes and flexibility becomes the norm.

Open Communication and Asynchronous Collaboration by default

Open communication is vital for collaboration, with praise given publicly and correction privately. Respecting people’s time and space means considering the purpose of communication and using asynchronous methods like documentation and prototypes as a priority before requesting expensive synchronous meetings.