Speaking to the heart is good business

I WAS taking afternoon tea with my wife at a charming cafe in Chinatown when an impeccably dressed lady alighted from a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz at the curb. Evidently the cafe boss, she gathered her staff for a meeting at a table nearby.

When the meeting drew to a close, she asked her employees: “Do you have any matters to raise?” One employee spoke up and asked a question about having more staff for weekends. I was touched by how the boss had reached out to her employees to hear them.

Her action stood in stark contrast to that of a chairperson at a meeting I had attended. After a presentation on a proposed change to the department’s work process, the chairperson disagreed – citing no urgency for change. There was no discussion, and the meeting proceeded to the next agenda item.