Nothing in Return

Years ago, I went above and beyond for someone who reported to me.  He had only been working for the company for a few weeks when he fractured his leg rollerskating.  He could not come to work.  The fracture was so bad that his doctor put him on bed rest.  He did not have sick days or personal holidays.  His medical benefits hadn’t even kicked in yet.  In short, the guy was screwed.

So, I made a few calls.  I asked for people to help me help this guy.  This was at a time when people just didn’t work from home.  The technology was barely there, and it was expensive to use it.  I made a few more calls, and I got this guy set up to work from home.  I bent some of the rules to help this person out because I knew that, as a single dad, he couldn’t afford to lose his brand new job.  When everything was ironed out, I felt good about what I had done.

Less than a year later, I found myself sitting in an office in HR because the same employee wanted to file some sort of complaint about me.  It turns out that he didn’t like his performance evaluation.  He also didn’t like his merit increase.  He felt that I wasn’t qualified to evaluate his performance and that I was unfair in my assessment.  

I was so far beyond pissed off and shocked that I couldn’t even articulate what I was feeling.  It turned out to be a HUGE lesson for me: don’t give an inch because they will take a mile and stab you in the back as they take it.  This guy obviously didn’t care about the lengths to which I went to ensure he could keep working.  His memory was apparently very short.  I swore then that I wouldn’t go out of my way to help anyone again.  Screw them all.  Let them fend for themselves.  Whatever the circumstances of their lives…I didn’t care.  Just manage by the book.  Don’t expect anything in return.

I held on to that hurt for a little bit…maybe a year…maybe less.  Once I had some time to lick my wounds and feel sorry for myself, I came to realize that my only real mistake was expecting something in return.  My error was in assuming that I SHOULD expect something in return.  The truth is, the act of doing something good or “nice” for someone else should never be done with the expectation of repayment.  Repayment will come in other forms, in other ways, and, most likely, at a time not of our choosing.  

So, why today?  Why dredge this up this Sunday evening?  Well, it’s just that time of year.  The third quarter of this year is coming to a close.  Before we know it, the end of the year will be here, and with that will come all those fun “year end” work events like final reviews and last-minute projects.  I will find myself in a position to help others, to go the extra mile for them, many times during the course of the next few months.  And with each act of coolness I bestow upon some else, I will expect nothing in return.  I will look for nothing.  I will be motivated by nothing.  Why?  Because I know that I must do what I consider to be right and true.  I will opt for compassion and love, and I will do so without expecting to receive a single thing in return.