Can I speak to the manager please?

An innocent question and one I asked this morning when I rang up the Scotmid at Tannochside to report a 'happening' that I wanted the manager to know about. I started my conversation with him by saying that I wanted to give him a good start to the week by offering some positive feedback. I was not ringing to complain as he might have expected. To my surprise he replied that he did not get many complaints because they worked hard as a team to get things right and if they went wrong they pulled together as a team to work through it. As someone who focuses on the positive and offers team discovery and development sessions I was delighted to hear that. The 'happening' that I was calling to record? Arriving in the area for ongoing work that involved travelling early in the day, I often stopped at Scotmid for supplies. This particular morning I decided to close my eyes for a short moment of rest before reporting for duty at an organisation nearby. Two members of Scotmid staff passed by and were worried that I was ill. I assured them I was fine and thanked them for their concern. This was what I fed back to the manager. He also went on to tell me why his staff might take a close interest in the car park, (I will not repeat that here in case it gives people ideas) suffice it to say that out of some negative things come good things. So the questions we ask are important both in their intention and in their tone,( try the one in the title of this piece in different tones). Feedback is important too and the positive kind motivates us and lets us know our efforts are worthwhile. Actions which arise out of negative situations can have positive outcomes. We can 'pay attention' or look for negative and positive things around us. In fact it may well be useful to be aware of both - its those two words again 'both' 'and'. What will you focus on today and this coming week and month? Something that can appear quite negative can bring a positive result. What situations, negative and positive, have you benefitted from this month of June and what positive results have you experienced?