Leadership: How a Janitor Saved My Life

How often do you think about career advancement? I recall a time in my life when I lived every day as though it were only a step on the way to the landing of success. That was until I had a conversation with a Janitor, Bobby that helped me put everything in perspective. I have over 20 years of success as a business person in primarily health care and I am grateful that I had a chance to meet and be educated by Bobby when I did.

I was a senior executive at a hospital. I loved the job, the title, and all the merits that came with it. It was of course just another step on my way to the ivory towers. One particular day, I was feeling down. This was a rare event for me, but I had just gone through a peer review known as a "360 review" where your peers and direct reports are asked very detailed questions about your character, qualities, and abilities and then they provide you with feedback anonymously. The experience was eye-opening for me. Not only had everyone not thought I was a total gem of an administrator, but several even had critical suggestions for me.

I am not one who is able to hide his emotions, good or bad, well and this must have been pretty obvious to Bobby as I walked up the hallway.

"Hey, J.." he said in his normally jovial tone. "How are you doing today?"

Bobby was a housekeeper, officially a floor man, who had been sweeping, stripping, buffing, and keeping the floors clean at the hospital for the last six years. The floors of the hospital shined like the finish on a new car. I imagined that you could lie on the floors and get up without so much as a follicle of dust on you. I am not sure I had ever really appreciated that point before that particular moment.

"Hey, Bobby," I said with an automatic smile gracing my face and a quick nod. "I am great today, how are you?" I felt dirty as the words left my mouth.

Bobby smiled cherubically as always, and responded, "I am good today, thanks for asking." He maintained eye contact and moved his head in a slight manner as if he were encouraging me.

"That's great, Bobby," I said, but I could not keep it up any more. My shoulders dropped with my smile and head. "I am sorry, Bobby. I am not really having such a great day." I felt blasphemous as the words escaped my mouth.

"You didn't look so good," Bobby said empathetically.

I never imagined admitting my defeated attitude to anyone I worked with before and especially Bobby, a mountain of a guy with perfectly maintained hair who was a housekeeper. I felt as if I were crossing a frozen pond in late spring, but I felt compelled to press on, "I guess I am not good at masking my emotions."

Bobby nodded, maintaining eye contact, but did not speak.

It occurred to me at that moment that I had never seen Bobby with anything less than a gracious smile and pleasant word to say to anyone. I was humbled by my recent review and that sense was only magnified as I realized I did not know much about Bobby.

"How do you do it?" I asked. "How do you come to work everyday, do the same job over and over again," I would feel bad about this statement later, but not at that time, "yet continue to be happy?"

Bobby's smile never waivered, but a peace seemed to wash over his face. "I am grateful to have a job this good. I get to come to work everyday and work inside at a nice facility with people that are making a difference. The doctors and nurses that work here are saving lives. People come to our emergency department and they don't know if it is going to be the last day of their lives. Hopefully, it won't be and they will go home and have happy lives. If they do, and all they talk about is how wonderful the care is that they received, then I will have done my job."

My eyebrows pulled together. I was puzzled.

Bobby recognized my silent question and continued, "If they are talking about the care they got and not how clean or dirty the floors were, then I mattered. I clean these floors. I made them not notice them."

It made perfect sense and I nodded.

"You see," Bobby continued, "I ain't like you all. I barely finished high school. I just ain't that smart. I wish I could do what the doctors and nurses do, but I was not born like that. But, I can make a difference in people's lives. I can matter. I do matter. It's just in a different way, than you. So for that I am grateful. I am grateful everyday that I can come to work to do a job that matters to people. And it matters when they need it most. When they could be having the worst day of their lives."

I was speechless. My eyes welled.

Bobby recognized my fragility and spoke, "So, if I ever think I am going to have a bad day, or if I ever think that my job is boring or doesn't matter, I think about all the people that don't complain, and that makes it all worth while." He smiled like a transcendent being.

My chest rose with my head and corners of my lips. "Bobby, thank you so much for taking time from your job to educate me and to make me recognize how grateful I am to be working at a facility that matters to people so much. Thank you for caring so much and doing the work that you do. I am grateful to be able to work at a facility that matters so much to people. I am grateful to work at a facility that has people that care as much as you."

That was the last day I tried to climb the stairs of success. From that moment on, I lived for the moment I was in. I am grateful to do meaningful work; to work with caring people; to matter; to be alive. Thank you Bobby.