What a Couple of Weeks in an Attic Taught Me

My father had few books in a small bookcase in our den. His book interests were sales related.  He told me he took a Dale Carnegie course with Dale Carnegie himself.  The first book of Dad’s I read was Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.  I read and reread that book month after month for years.  I have my original paperback today and it has dog eared pages.  

 Principles from How to Win Friends and Influence People

Become a Friendlier Person

1.      Don't criticize, condemn or complain.

2.      Give honest, sincere appreciation.

3.      Arouse in the other person an eager want.

4.      Become genuinely interested in other people.

5.      Smile.

6.      Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

7.      Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

8.      Talk in terms of other person's interests.

9.      Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

One of my first part-time jobs was in a designer clothing store. It was the holiday season and the employees were bustling around getting the store ready for shoppers. I had been told the owner was a mean, old mad with a temper and if you ever meet him do not make him angry.

He was working in the attic of the warehouse when he called downstairs to send up help, the ladies said, "Your turn to go to the attic” Being the lowest woman on the totem pole and newly hired I had no choice but to do what my department supervisor asked. I was lead to an old dusty, dark, wood staircase, behind a wall at the end of the warehouse floor, and told. "Go on up, you'll find him."  I went up curious to see what was up in the attic but I was a little afraid of the man because no one wanted to go to the attic with him.

In the attic of the warehouse were stacks and stacks of boxes and clothes.  I found my way to him easy enough because he yelled, "Over here!” Not a friendly welcome but…  "Sit there! Here's a tag gun, watch me. See it is easy, start tagging these blouses on the sleeve, here, and take out these pins and button the collar. Get to work." I did as he asked and we worked in that hot attic for four hours, silent except for the tag gun, double click from mine and double click from his.  I watched him reload his tag gun and without asking permission, I reloaded mine and kept working.  He smiled. I think he was amused that I wasn't timidly asking him if I could reload mine and how, I just did it.  

I was sweating. He was in dress shirt, tie, with suspenders, sitting in this hot attic doing such a menial task.  He looked all business, with reading glasses down on his nose like a Charles Dickens character. At the end of the day I was so glad to get out of that HOT, HOT, attic. Did I say it was HOT? Yeah it was HOT. He finally said, "I like you, come back tomorrow." I thought, “Sh*t, I gotta do this again tomorrow?”

The next day I went back up to the attic another four HOT hours. We tagged clothes and more clothes. The third day in the attic, I decided to apply those Dale Carnegie principles so I asked him about his life and “how he came to own this business in this multi-level warehouse of designer clothes?” He began to tell me his story and now the time went by faster without noticing the heat as much. He was an interesting man. I knew from his story that he was a mover and a shaker. When he got an idea, HE MOVED ON IT and no task connected with his business was beneath him.  

Each day, must have been "my turn again" because I was sent up every day for the next two weeks. This scary old man and I became friends.  He wasn’t mean or angry from my experience.

It was November and Thanksgiving was coming, and my seasonal job would soon come to an end. All the full time employees were getting 20 lbs. turkeys as a gift from him. 

“You don't get one, you're a part-timer he doesn't give turkeys to part-timers"

So up the stairs I went and tagged another four hours.  Today as I was leaving I said, "You know I heard all the employees are getting a turkey do you think I could have one too?"  

He said," You're a part -timer you don't get a turkey."  

"I know but it doesn't hurt to ask," I said.  

He replied, "I like you. Yes, you can have a turkey, go see my assistant manager and tell him I said you could have a turkey."  

I thanked him, hugged him, and wished him Happy Thanksgiving. I never saw him again but I never forgot that HOT attic, his kindness, and those DC principles that work so well that I have continued to use then till this day.