By Linda Baleta
Communication expert
This weekend, I gathered in a corner of the house to read "What You're Looking For, You'll Find It in the Library" by Michiko Aoyama.
I'm telling you, it's one of those books that you'll fall asleep reading, but then it shakes you to the core and occupies your thoughts long after you've closed it.
“Readers create their own personal connections with words, regardless of the writer’s intentions, and each reader gains something unique.”
― Michiko Aoyama, “What You’re Looking For, You’ll Find at the Library”
At first glance, the book is about a series of chance encounters with a librarian. In reality, it's about the art of unlocking people's inner selves. The stories are about people who approach the librarian with questions. And therein lies the magic. The librarian doesn't just hand them the book they're looking for and pass it on. She listens beyond words and body language. Then she recommends a book they didn't even know they needed. Not some bombastic recommendation with fireworks, but like a light tap on the shoulder that says, "Here."
Then, weeks or months later, that touch turns into a reorientation. A decision changes. A door opens. A small movement aligns those people with their truth, with the purpose, the passion, the driving force that they had perhaps forgotten as life went on. A life, if only for a little while, set off from its calling.
This book reminded me of some people I've had the good fortune to meet at work. Do you mean the type? The one who sees you for who you are, but also for who you can become, who reads your talents better than you do, who involves you in their networks without calculation and introduces you to ideas and people you didn't know you needed, while connecting dots you didn't even know existed. They send an introductory email that suddenly changes your entire career and, without much fanfare, nudges you back toward a path you didn't realize you'd strayed from. Although at the time, that nudge may sting a little.
These workplace angels know that a career is not a straight ladder, but more of a long walk in the woods with wrong turns and stops to enjoy the scenery. So they calmly give you the compass when you get lost.
Some call them mentors, sponsors, or guides. I call them workplace angels. And here's a beautiful fact: you don't always realize you've met one until you look back. Only then do you see their footprints in the moments of your life that really matter.
The book made me think about how I too can be an angel in the workplace for someone else. We don't need a fancy title or a leadership stamp to become angels in the workplace. We just need to be attentive. To see the spark in someone before they see it for themselves. To believe in them when their reserves of self-confidence are at their lowest point. To give that push at the right time to help them get back on their feet.
