Earlier this week I was at Sovereign in training session (where I was the trainer, not the trainee). I love that building. It’s all so well designed with natural materials everywhere, glass elevators and open spaces. There are bridges and catwalks across the atrium, clever kitchen ‘cafe’ areas and everything has a very comfortable, yet industrial and modern feel. Apparently it won the Institute of Architects national award, and I can understand why. It is a gorgeous building.

Anyway, as I said I was at this training session. Just as we were leaving, to be nice I collected up the empty water glasses and deposited them in the sink of the nearest staff kitchenette. As I left a woman came up behind me and said quite clearly, “Oh how NICE, she’s left them for us to clean up!”. Clearly she thought I worked there, and was not a visitor. A bit shocked, (I WAS trying to be nice and helpful, and I wasn’t sure what I was meant to do with them as there was no obvious dishwasher or anything) I thought, “I WAS trying to be nice. What else was I supposed to do with them?”, smiled at her and continued on my way.

When I mentioned it to the marketing communications head she laughed and told me I SHOULD have said I was visitor, that women would have probably been horribly embarrassed and it would serve her right. I’m glad I didn’t, simply because I care very little about people making nasty bitchy comments (at my previous work place it was quite common to be bitched about) and I don’t really feel the need to validate such comments. Plus, saving her from an embarrassing moment is a nice thing to do.

Anyway, this is a silly lead to a site I recently came across: Operation Nice. Operation Nice is a blog that documents nice things people have done (usually something more than clearing up someone else’s water glasses). When I read through a bunch of them, some made me laugh, some were heartbreaking and some made me wish I could do more. Generally, it made me feel glad that there ARE people who are nice, and who are doing nice things. I made me feel glad to know the world isn’t just full of people who like to make assumptions and bitchy comments.

Check it out, hey. Or if you are one of those people who do nice things, share your story with them. Perhaps it will mean something to someone else, and will encourage others to be nice too.