Who Is Watching You?

I felt a little like a teenage girl seeing Justin Bieber in public. Okay, maybe not that extreme. But I was excited. I was at the Salt Lake City airport awaiting a connecting flight to Las Vegas. I happened to look up the concourse and saw someone who looked familiar. As he walked closer I realized it was none other than Al van der Beek, one of the members of the musical group The Piano Guys. In previous blogs I've written about how much I enjoy their positive music and the value they place on faith and family. I've even got premium seats for their upcoming concert in Raleigh NC. Now here was one of the members of the group just a few feet away!

Soon Al was joined by Steven Sharp Nelson and Jon Schmidt, the two musicians. WOW! I walked to where they were sitting and introduced myself to Steven and had a brief conversation. I was happy to find that he was just as personable and polite as he appeared in the media. I had a similar conversation with Jon on the plane. Just two down to earth guys who haven't let their incredible success go to their head. And I got to see them in person! It was a day I will long remember.

I think what sticks out in my mind is that I kept waiting for that moment when they acted in a way that was different than what they portrayed in their videos and in interviews. We've all had those moments when someone we looked up to let us down. It's not that we necessarily see them as role models... we just want them to be who they say they are.

The workplace is no different. What creates a high degrees of trust is knowing what we can consistently expect from our coworkers and our bosses. When they (or we) act in a manner that diminishes our respect or admiration of them, working together becomes more difficult.

As I reflected on my chance encounter with these authentic "guys", I found myself being a bit more motivated the rest of the day. Their positive energy was truly contagious. I was also reminded of my own responsibility to be who I say I am. I started to text my younger daughter and tell her more about my experience with The Piano Guys, when I saw a message she had sent me earlier that day in response to one I sent her:

Regardless of who we are, someone is watching us, hoping that we are who we claim to be, and learning from our example. 

Who is watching you today?