“This simple encounter in a college class turned into a great friendship and an opportunity to serve.”
When you head to a college class, you expect a long lecture, tons of new homework assignments, and at least one person who never seems to stop talking. You don’t expect to meet a long–lost family member, but that’s exactly what happened to Cooper Tillotson, one of our awesome SEO team members. Here’s how it happened:
“A few semesters ago, I had a very interesting interaction that turned out to be a great opportunity to connect with someone and serve. I was in a class and overheard another student talking about his grandpa. The classmate asked our professor if he knew his grandpa, and when I heard the name, I said ‘Hey that’s my uncle.’
I talked with this classmate some more and found out that his name is Nathan—and that we’re cousins! He was put up for adoption shortly after being born and I never had the opportunity to meet him. We began sitting next to each other in class and formed a good relationship.
As the semester moved along, we also made the connection that we lived in the same apartment complex! Because of this, I was able to continue to grow our friendship. Getting to know him was a great blessing—he always found ways to help my wife and me with picking up packages and helping us carry groceries into the house when he saw us.
A few weeks ago he told me he was moving out. I immediately asked if he needed help moving since only his elderly parents would be there to help. This simple encounter in a college class turned into a great friendship and an opportunity to serve.
It also reminds me to foster strong relationships daily because you don’t know how or when they will bless you and others.”
What Does This Story Have to Do With Company Culture?
Cooper shared this with the team during the “Build Then Bless” portion of our weekly meetings, when team members have the opportunity to share experiences where they
1) blessed someone with the $50 we give each month to help them serve others
2) had a non–monetary experience that touched them and helped them see Build Then Bless in action
Do your employees have opportunities to share things that impact them? Do your teams know each other on a personal basis, instead of just by their job description? Trust leads to better collaboration, and personal connections lead to stronger teams.
If you’re an honest business owner, we know you’re looking for ways to make your employees happier and your business more productive. Creating an environment of openness—which we do through Build Then Bless—is a surefire way to work on both of those goals.
Learn more about the Build Then Bless culture operating system and how it can benefit your company by reaching out to our team.
