Are We There Yet? vol. 108

I was chatting with a client and friend the other day and she told me a story that I want to share. Her brother lives in the Algarve region of Portugal where he owns a pizzeria.  Like everywhere in the world, finding workers is difficult and his pizzeria was no exception. One day recently, a mother and daughter entered his restaurant, and the mother was looking for work.  She didn’t have experience with pizza making or working in restaurants so he was unsure of whether she could do the job but what he heard next changed his perspective. She and her daughter were Ukrainian and were desperately trying to earn money to bring relatives out of Ukraine.  He immediately decided to give her a chance and it has worked out better than he could have expected.  The woman is a very loyal employee, does much more than he expected she could do. I’m sure that the woman is grateful for the opportunity and the ability to help family members escape a war zone. 

It’s a beautiful story about people helping other people and providing opportunities especially during the current news cycle. But it is also interesting to reflect on how it all happened. The woman was clearly in the right place at the right time as my friend’s brother needed immediate help.  But, had my friend’s brother simply dismissed her for lack of experience and not taken the time to learn about her circumstances, he would have missed out on hiring a great employee. Her story changed his perspective and his desire to help another person in need ended up being a win-win for everyone involved. 

This week’s selection is:

VIDEO:

Slow Horses (Apple TV)

This quick-witted spy drama follows a dysfunctional team of MI-5 agents and their obnoxious boss, the notorious Jackson Lamb, as they navigate the espionage world’s smoke and mirrors to defend England form sinister forces.