Toward the end of 1984, when my wife was first starting out in her career, Sarah went to work for John H. Crawford, III at Crawford Investment Counsel in Atlanta. John had founded the firm four years earlier, and Sarah was his first professional hire (a very capable administrative assistant named Joanne was the firm’s other employee). Every day, as Sarah was heading home, John would say to her: “Thank you for your work.” Sarah always was struck by this; after all, John was paying her to work for him. When Sarah once asked John about it, he answered simply: “I want to thank you for your work.”
Each year, Dear Reader, I like to expand upon our Thanksgiving practice, and John Crawford’s sterling example is a great jumping-off place. With his daily thank-yous to Sarah, John went above and beyond what was expected. I’d like to encourage you to go above and beyond in a different way with people who provide you with goods or services. I am suggesting, if there is time, that you interest yourself in the life of the person delivering you the goods or doing the service. My daughter Rebecca is extremely good at this. Recently, Rebecca and Shir moved into a brand-new apartment in Givatayim, up the block from my other daughter Ruthie. Whether it’s the person installing the wooden parquet flooring, or the carpenter putting in the wall closet, or the plumber attaching the new sink, Rebecca is interested in their story: how long have they been doing what they are doing, where did they grow up, do they have a family, where do they live now? This is also a kind of thank-you; along with making the experience more pleasant, your interest in the other person’s life expresses your thanks for the work they are doing for you.
Sometimes a willingness to start up a conversation can lead to unforeseen benefits. Two months ago, Sarah and I went to see “Anna Karenina,” a play based on Tolstoy’s famous novel. It was being put on by Gesher Theater, whose home is in Yaffo. Sarah and I arrived in time to have a pre-play falafel from a stand a few yards away from the theater. There was no one else at the falafel stand when we arrived at around a quarter to seven, and the proprietor, upon taking our orders, went to scoop out the falafel balls and put them in the deep fryer. When he returned, I knew we had a few minutes of frying time, and so instead of just standing there, I entered into conversation with him. When I told him that we were there to see “Anna Karenina,” the falafel man quickly responded: “It’s not here—it’s being put on at Beit Dani” (a community center in South Tel Aviv that has a hall with more seating than Gesher’s). It was then that I noticed that the theater’s door was closed and that things inside looked pretty dark for a 7:30 show. I started to freak out, but the falafel man calmed me down. After ascertaining that we had come by car, he said: “Don’t worry; you’ll be fine. You’ll get there in time for the show, and you’ll enjoy your falafel on the way.” And so it happened.
Coming back to John Crawford, in his case too, his expansive thanks-giving practice led to unforeseen benefits. I like to think that it signaled, both to his employees and his clients, that John is a person worthy of their trust. John is still head of Crawford Investment Counsel—only now it has about 50 employees.
Happy Thanksgiving.
TEDDY WEINBERGER is a contributing writer to Jlife magazine. He made aliyah with his family in 1997 from Miami, where he was an assistant professor of religious studies. Teddy and his wife, Sarah Jane Ross, have five children.
