Who Did You Make Smile Today?

Our company's day can ultimately be measured by one question: whom did you make smile today? Those polishing products work for the smiles of customers not yet met; those running tournaments, for children on the pitch; those closing the books, for shareholders who trust us and colleagues beside us.

A day you can answer is a good day — progress, even without revenue. And the question holds a curious property: on days you made someone smile, you find yourself smiling too. The reverse fails — days aimed only at your own smile rarely end in one. Smiles flee when grasped at directly, and return when given away.

So skip the theory and try one thing from today: at day's end, write in a notebook or phone, "Today I made these people smile: ___." Blank days are allowed. Keep writing, and blanks begin to feel wrong — and by then, you have already begun to change.

What do you work for?