Moments of Glory
by Dan Brent, Citibank

I travel a lot for Citibank. I’ve been in dozens and dozens of airports. Practically every small and mid-sized airport in America has displayed a plaque which notes and celebrates the airport’s latest expansion or renovation. The plaque announces that the renovation was authorized on a certain date by some local political board of commissioners. It then goes on – in raised bronze letters – to name each member of the commission. Woodie Allen’s truism scores again. Everyone is desperate for his or her 15 minutes of fame. Even if it has to be a cumulative total of thousands of passing glances from busy travelers!

I once heard a story about a campus visitor who was being shown the Goethe Building at a university. “I’ve always admired Goethe,” he volunteered. His guide responded, “This building is named for Herman Goethe, not Johann Wolfgang Goethe.” The guest asked, “What did Herman Goethe write?” His guide responded, “A check.”

Cheaper to go for the airport commission thing.

But no matter how we pursue it, we all yearn for self-esteem and the approval of others. We want our fifteen minutes.

It occurs to me that, in working with students, you are in a position to make at least a small contribution to their self-esteem, their fifteen minutes.

Examples, you say?

One of the tools for generating creative possibilities works this way. You write out the issue at the top of a blank piece of paper. Then you put the numbers 1 to 15 down the left side of the page. Next you write an uncritiqued idea next to each of the fifteen numbers. You don’t allow yourself to stop until all of the numbers have been filled in. I did that with this question: “How can a financial aid person enhance the self-esteem of a student client?” FYI, here is what I got.

1. Use their name. Dale Carnegie said that the sweetest sound of the language is the sound of a person’s name. Giving them your name is probably a good suggestion too.
   
   
2. Give them a compliment. It’s almost always possible to find something to compliment in the person’s background or behavior.
   
   
3. Treat them with respect. They know and you know that the power in the situation is on your side. You have the resources, the space, the title. So they are especially appreciative if you choose to treat them like human beings.
   
   
4. Ask a favor. This is another of Carnegie’s ideas for making friends and influencing people. Even if it’s something they have to do, it wears better if you say, “Could I ask you to do something for me?”
   
   
5. Go an extra mile. Find something you can do beyond what’s requested. And there usually is something that’s possible.
   
   
6. Ask a permission. “May I go ahead and do . . . for you?” The inversion of the power relationship has a powerful impact on their self-esteem.
   
   
7. Put them in print. (I told you these ideas are uncritiqued!) I walked into a hotel to check in once and saw a sign on the registration desk that said, “Welcome Mr. Brent!” See, I still remember.
   
   
8. Say “YES” to a request. It helps our ego when someone is willing to stretch a bit to accommodate us.
   
   
9. Ask for advice or information. Being the expert – even in a small thing – is good for our ego.
   
   
10. Ask a personal question. It says you care about me as a person, not just as a client.
    
    
11. Introduce them to a colleague. It makes them feel important – like somebody.
    
    
12. Give a tour of your space or resources. It says that you think they’re special, even if it’s only the nickel tour.
    
    
13. Find a way to memorialize them. E.g. In the newsletter, a note that says “Best question of the week was from NN: . . .”
    
    
14. Give “Thanks for coming” prizes. I worked with a group once who told me that the most popular person in the group was the library guy. He gives suckers to sophisticated collegians who come by – and they love it!
    
    
15. Ask to be introduced to the visitor’s companion. “John, introduce me to your friend.”

You can make your own list of fifteen. The point is to make your clients feel special. Then they won’t have to wait for wall space in the airport.

Dan Brent is a Professional Development Officer with Citibank. He regularly presents workshops for financial aid people.