WHAT'S IN A NAME?

One of my favorite sitcoms from years ago is Cheers. I love the line in the theme song that says, "you want to go where everybody knows your name." Indeed we do want to go where people know our names and use them. Our names are special to us and the person who makes it a point to remember and use names becomes special as well.

Several times in recent days and weeks I've been reminded of how powerful knowing and remembering names is. I was attending a yoga class and the instructor promised to remember my name. As I walked away I silently vowed to return to her class, not just because she's a great yoga teacher but because she took the time to learn my name. Another reminder came during a conversation with a friend who volunteers at an assisted living center. She described the look of delight that one of the residents gave her when during a recent visit my friend waved and called her by name.

Dale Carnegie was so convinced of the power of remembering names that he made it one of the components of his famous book and personal development program of the same name: "How to Win Friends and Influence People." In Carnegie's words: "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

Several years ago I was meeting with the manager of a Marriott hotel property here in Las Vegas. He had recently relocated from a property in Hawaii. As he showed me around the beautiful grounds, he made it a point to speak to employees by name--not just occasionally but everyone he met. Later I was speaking with an employee there who told me that the manager knew the name of every single employee--all 500 of them!! Is it any wonder he was considered one of the corporation's top leaders?

And recently during a series of public speaking courses I was teaching for another major hotel/gaming company in Las Vegas several people selected a security guard as their nominee for employee of the month. Without exception each of them cited this particular gentleman's uncanny knack for learning and using people's names. He didn't have to. After all, he was just a security guard. But every one of those who attended the class, whether they had used him as the subject of their speech or not, acknowledged that he was one of the most well-liked employees in the company. In several instances speakers were moved to tears as they recalled his special thoughtfulness. All because he took the time to remember and use their names.

Are you someone who makes it a point to remember names? If you're not, or you're someone who reinforces your own forgetfulness by saying, "Oh, I just can't remember names," then I would suggest you find a way to reverse that programming. In this day and age of impersonal, electronic communication, knowing and using people's names can become one of your most potent secret weapons of professional success. Back to the Cheers theme song. If you can become the person who knows people's names I'm convinced you'll have a steady stream of business and referrals coming your way. If you become the person who knows others by name inside the company you work for--especially the people who are often overlooked--the custodians, the clerks, the secretaries--you'll be considered leadership material, regardless of your position in the company now.

And even if the only reason you make it a point to remember and use others' names is because it makes them feel good, that's reason enough. As Dale Carnegie so powerfully puts it, "We should be aware of the magic contained in a name. The name sets the individual apart; it makes him or her unique among all others." We're all hungry for that sense of uniqueness, that sense that we matter.

This week, make it your business to learn and use others' names whenever you can. Whether it's the waitress serving you lunch, the security guard that checks you in at the company or a V-I-P you're courting for business, remember the power in a person's name. It's a habit worth cultivating.

Quote of the Week:

Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I will not forget you.

~~ William Arthur Ward

To my readers: Thank you to so many of you who took the time to share your reactions to last week's MMC about my encounter with my neighbor Joe. Your feedback is always welcome!!

"Transforming Your Potential into Performance!"
Betty Mahalik, PCC Life & Business Coach, Trainer bettym@dynamic-coaching.com www.dynamic-coaching.com	Dynamic Solutions 5240 Mustang St. Las Vegas, NV 89130 tel: 702 658-4425 fax: 702 658-5802 mobile: 702 443-0175
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