Are You Making an Impact?

Several years ago I took a phone call at the radio station where I worked. Most of the time listeners called to complain or tell you what you said or did that was wrong. 

People who have something positive to say rarely call to tell you. You learn to accept that in the radio business. 

This, however, was one of those exceptions. And what the woman on the other end of the line told me was startling.

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The caller said she wanted to thank me for my Sunday night news magazine, a radio program about politics and current events. She said that she and her daughter had been listening to the program as she drove her daughter back to college on Sunday nights.

She went on to explain that their relationship had been strained, they didn't have much to say to one another, and that they had turned on the radio to fill the silence of the car. Little by little, they began to comment to each other about what they heard on my program. Several weeks later, their relationship was stronger than it had been in a long, long time.

She said, "I just wanted to thank you for helping restore my relationship with my daughter." 

Wow.

When you talk on the radio you imagine a typical listener and wonder if they're getting something out of what you're saying. Well, I had never expected a call like that. 

Bottom line: It's not just about the money. Our jobs may impact people in ways we could never imagine. 

So, make sure it's a positive impact.