{"id":4783,"date":"2025-07-30T10:35:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=4783"},"modified":"2025-07-30T10:35:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T14:35:47","slug":"one-minute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/30\/one-minute\/","title":{"rendered":"One Minute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/a>

A 60-second conversation can make a world of difference in someone\u2019s life.

In his book Foremen: Leaders or Drivers?<\/em>, Sherman Rogers describes a summer he spent in an Idaho logging camp.

Rogers was just a college kid.\u00a0But since he was training for leadership, the superintendent put him in command of the workers when he himself had to step away for a few days.

\u201cWhat if the men refuse to follow my orders?\u201d Rogers asked.

He was generally concerned about his young age and relative inexperience.\u00a0But Rogers was especially anxious about Tony, an immigrant worker who seemed afflicted by a permanent bad attitude.

The superintendent shrugged, displaying a classic, shoot-from-the-hip approach to leadership. \u201cFire them,\u201d he said.

Rogers was stunned. Then the superintendent seemed to back down, at least when it came to Tony. \u201cI suppose you think you are going to fire Tony if you get the chance. I\u2019d feel badly about that. I have been logging for 40 years. Tony is the most reliable worker I\u2019ve ever had. I know he is a grouch and that he hates everybody and everything. But he comes in first and leaves last.\u201d

The superintendent added, \u201cThere has not been an accident for eight years on the hill where he works.\u201d

Rogers took over the next day. He immediately approached Tony. \u201cTony, do you know I\u2019m in charge here today?\u201d Tony grunted in response.\u00a0

Rogers went on, \u201cI was going to fire you the first time we tangled, but I want you to know I\u2019m not.\u201d\u00a0Then he told Tony what the superintendent had said about him the day before.\u00a0

Tony dropped the shovelful of sand he was holding. Tears streamed down his face. \u201cWhy he no tell me dat eight years ago?\u201d he said in broken English.\u00a0

Tony worked harder than ever that day.\u00a0He even smiled.\u00a0

He later confided to Rogers, \u201cI told Maria you first foreman in deese country who ever say, \u2018Good work, Tony,\u2019 and it make Maria feel like Christmas.\u201d

At summer\u2019s end, Sherman Rogers returned to college.\u00a0He crossed paths with Tony twelve years later in California.\u00a0He was delighted to learn that Tony had become superintendent for railroad construction for one of the largest logging companies in the West.

He asked Tony how the doors of opportunity had swung open.

Tony replied, \u201cIf it not be for the one minute you talk to me back in Idaho, I keel somebody someday. One minute, she change my whole life.\u201d

Steve Goodier, reflecting on Rogers\u2019 story, describes the power of just 60 seconds of affirmation.

\u201cOne minute,\u201d he writes.\u00a0\u201cHave you got one minute to thank someone? A minute to tell someone what you sincerely like or appreciate about her? A minute to elaborate on something he did well?\u201d

Proverbs 12:25 tells the story straight: \u201cAnxiety in someone\u2019s heart weighs them down, but a good word makes them glad.\u201d

You have the power to alter the future.\u00a0
You can make someone glad.
You can even do it today.\u00a0\u00a0

Encourage instead of tearing down. Forgive instead of nursing a grudge. Hug your kid instead of yelling. Keep a promise instead of saying, \u201cWhatever.\u201d\u00a0

Big things have small beginnings.

And it only takes a minute.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0

You can help someone experience Christmas in July.

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here A 60-second conversation can make a world of difference in someone\u2019s life. In his book Foremen: Leaders or Drivers?, Sherman Rogers describes a summer he spent in an Idaho logging camp. Rogers was just a college kid.\u00a0But since he was training for leadership, the superintendent put him in command of the… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[79,280],"class_list":["post-4783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-encouragement","tag-speech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4783"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4785,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4783\/revisions\/4785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}