Reaching out in the Holiday Season

Many people in the New England area can tell a story or two about how special they felt when they sat down in conversation with Bob Gatti. I had the privilege of working for Bob for over 20 years, but the connection began when I had a new house, a new baby and needed a new career and he agreed to meet with me to discuss the field of HR. He spent two hours with me and halfway through the meeting, I had a moment of insight in which I thought: “I want to work for this guy.” As we move further into the holiday season, I think of Bob because he inspired so many people to be there for others, as he was there for us.

This can be a season of great joy for so many people, but for many, this is not the case. For many people, the holiday season can be very difficult. It can be accompanied by a prevailing sense of sadness, a loss of hope or the experience of depression in some form. It is in this context that we might reflect on the question from the scriptures of many religious traditions which ask us to answer this fairly direct question: “Who are my brothers and sisters?”

Bob Gatti used to say to those who worked for him, “Make sure that you give back to the community from which you make your living.” For us, this was the HR community in New England and especially in the Greater Boston area. Inspired by the example of Bob Gatti, I want to invite you to reach out to some people in the coming days and weeks - for no reason perhaps than to say “hello” and “how are you doing?”. 

It might be people you used to work with or went to school with…or people you used to see in the neighborhood whom you haven’t seen in a while. It is so easy to just call and check-in. They may or may not respond, but at the very least, they will know that you thought of them.

Likewise, if you are aware that you are having a tough time, please give yourself permission to reach out to others. Whether you will benefit from a light and uplifting conversation with an old friend or former colleague, to let someone in on how you are doing or whether you need to speak to a professional with particular expertise, I hope you will reach out.

Bob Gatti was just one person - yet he touched the lives of countless people with his generosity. I would not have the courage to take one step in the right direction if I thought that I had to be as good and generous as Bob Gatti was to so many. The good news is that none of us needs to be something we are not; we can however do our own small part, in our own ways, in our own communities.

I hope that if you are stuck in any way related to your job, your career or your life, that you will reach out to me or to others who you sense might be helpful. This is one small way that we might be able to give or receive support - at the very least, by sharing or listening.

We all have gifts to share and the ability to reach out or to be open when others reach out to us. Are you willing to reach out? Are you willing to have people reach out to you?

As the great Louis Armstrong expressed so beautifully in the song “What a Wonderful World”:

I see friends shaking hands

Saying, "How do you do?"

They're really saying

"I love you"