Recognition matters… It does!

Written by: Paul Rhodes

I was recognized on the plane headed to the Inspire 2024 conference, powered by the Florida Apartment Association this week. Being recognized at conventions or conferences is one thing. The now four times in my career that I’ve been identified by a stranger outside of an industry event is weird to say the least. 

In this case, I was grabbing my luggage from the overhead storage on the plane upon arrival at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. The two seat-mates and I had already determined that ironically the three big guys sandwiched together in the seats made for someone smaller than us were headed to the same conference. They were attending and I was speaking. The conversation was pleasant and fun as we shared quick anecdotes about the multifamily maintenance world.

Once the plane took off, we each went to our headphone induced seclusion.

I paused the movie I was watching and contemplated the probabilities that an entire row of persons on a plane headed to an area as large as South Florida would all share a common destination. We each represented different companies and cultures and yet we shared a camaraderie that I can guess is approaching a sort of ‘combat veterans’ (though worthy of much different respect). 

Upon landing, I stood up and grabbed my bags to get off the plane. A guy yelled across the seats in between his window seat, and me: “HEY! Aren’t you that CAMT guy?”

Slightly embarrassed as I stopped dead in the aisle, I paused with nothing else to say other than, “Yeah, that’s me.” And then, I exited the plane and ran to the Uber lot as quickly as possible. 

Contemplating my response from the back seat of the car I realized I’m proud, ashamed and thankful. 

  • Proud someone recognized me, reinforcing that my messages about Apartment Maintenance as an amazing career choice, and how to do it better, were noticed.

  • Ashamed that I’m not better at receiving a compliment with grace.

  • Thankful that my contributions are being seen. 

    Here’s what I don’t know:

  • I don’t know if he attended my sessions as I didn’t notice him in the audience. (I have a hard time concentrating when I’m trying to be meaningfully “witty”.)

  • I don’t know if he liked or hated what he saw that made my contributions to CAMT worthy of remembering.

  • I don’t know if he realizes that he influenced and created a memory that will last longer than I can guess at this time.

    Here’s what I know

  • He gave me a gift. The gift of recognition for something outside of the context for which it was done. He thought enough of what I did to call it out. 

  • Receiving that gift brought a smile to my face — something I needed after thinking back to things I said from the stage that didn’t land the way I thought they would. 

  • Though it seemingly cost him nothing to say it, that one “HEY…” is great currency for my personal encouragement bank.

    In one of my sessions I spoke about using better questions. The best question I can ask at this
    point is:

    “What recognition can you give to someone and, in doing so, add currency to their bank? 

    Do it!

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Paul Rhodes
Author
Paul Rhodes
National Multifamily Educator