Eagle County “Be Nice” campaign a good start to community dialogue
I have talked to numerous business owners this season who have expressed some varied levels of stress caused by locals and guests alike who are impatient and treat front-line service employees without a basic modicum of respect and kindness. Rudeness has become all too commonplace and even expected.
There is no sugar coating how challenging this season (and the past two years) have been. Our service sector – those who make our economy work – is constantly faced with negativity, anger, and misdirected abuse. While this isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon, it sure seems to have increased this season. We seem to have forgotten the “golden rule”: to treat others as you would like to be treated. I humbly suggest the golden rule is outdated, as we often don’t treat ourselves very well. Instead, we should apply the “platinum rule”: treat others the way you want your grandmother to be treated.
Here’s the thing: it costs nothing to say please & thank you and to be kind. It’s almost as if we forgot one of the first lessons most of our mothers taught us – the power of using our manners, and the power of a simple “please” and “thank you” when engaging with others in a service setting. The beautiful thing about it is that general base-level manners – kindergarteners have figured it out, yet adults increasingly seem to have forgotten how to express gratitude. Kindness seems to be a forgotten attribute.
Eagle County’s Be Nice campaign was launched earlier this winter season in recognition of the need for additional patience and kindness toward each other and our front-line staff. This campaign has a variety of simple signage (available in both English and Spanish) to encourage thank people for their understanding and patience and to be nice to each other during hard times.
I’m appreciative of this campaign as a reminder to our guests, our locals, and each other that patience and kindness (aka, being nice) have value. The simple words “please” and “thank you” are more than pleasantries. They are an expression of gratitude that will make you feel better about yourself, knowing you took the time to do a small thing to make others feel good. You cannot go wrong with a sincere “please” or “thank you”; try it next time the bus driver opens the door for you or next time your barista calls out your name. It’s hard to say “please” or “thank you” without a smile – it feels good, and it makes others feel recognized which in turn makes them feel good.
There seems to be a day for everything, and kindness is no different. Just last week (February 17th to be exact) was designated as National Random Acts of Kindness Day by whoever it might be that declares these things. How much better would the world be if instead of saying something negative about a service encounter we would say three positives instead….I think it would make a difference (and think, at a minimum, social media would be more tolerable).
Bringing more kindness, patience, and grace to our community shouldn’t be limited to one made-up holiday. We have nine weeks left in the ski season and spring break is quickly approaching. It’s our home stretch of what has been a long, challenging season. While kindness won’t solve our workforce challenges, remembering that lesson from your mother to always say please and thank you is one small way for us to make a big difference.
Chris Romer is president & CEO of Vail Valley Partnership, the regional chamber of commerce. Learn more at VailValleyPartnership.com