Be Proud of Yourself

Today I’m writing about a story I heard on NPR, a short conversation between two garbage workers in New York city. Their dialogue is part of the network’s ‘StoryCorps’ series, in which conversations between people are recorded in a booth and catalogued in the Library of Congress.

In the story, two career-long garbage men, Angelo Bruno and Eddie Nieves, discuss their deep friendship that emerged after years of being partners on a garbage truck, clearing 14 tons of garbage from the streets of New York each day. Within the dialogue, there is a story about motivating others that I wanted to retell.

Angelo describes his first day on the job, many years before, when he was paired with on old-timer and veteran named Gordie. He describes how Gordie took him aside at the top of the first street and said “Angelo, take a look at this street. You see all the trash laying everywhere, all over the sidewalks and the street?” Angelo then describes how he didn’t think much of it and started to go about his work. Then at the end of the street, Gordie said to him “Angelo, get out of the truck. Look back.” So he did. “Nice and clean, right? People can walk on the sidewalk, guys can make deliveries. Be proud of yourself.”

We often think of leadership qualities being tied somehow to people who are educated and have status, but here is a man, who probably did not even attend college, who is a garbage man by profession, and he gives one of the finest examples of motivational leadership I’ve seen. He paints a vivid picture to Angelo of why he is important and why his contribution matters, and he ends with the zinger “be proud of yourself”. It’s no wonder that Angelo went on to retire with valuable friendships and a feeling of real worth. This story reminds me how important it is to take just a little bit of time to do the small things that will have lasting and positive consequences for others.

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