Post by Phebe Obong (@PhebeObong)

The video amazed me, but at the same time, I had a moment to think deeper.

Here is a petroleum truck driver whose truck is on fire. A very serious fire. Yet, he did not think of escaping for his life first. He had to think about how to reduce the loss for his employer.

Here’s how I evaluated the video.

First, he drove the truck a distance away from where the fire could affect any buildings and cause even bigger problems.

Then, he detached the engine part of the truck from the tanker instead of simply abandoning the tanker. And according to the video, this took some minutes. So, imagine what could have happened to him in the process.

And while people may say he was trying to avoid the consequences of the occurrence, here’s my own view.

His reaction goes beyond just avoiding consequences. First, it tells me how much of a good person he is. Second, it tells how well his employer has treated him.

The way people respond when everything is on the line is a reflection of how they have been treated when nothing was.

Employers sometimes turn people into monsters in the course of their jobs.

They pay less, expect you to do the job of five people at once, and sometimes do so without any form of acknowledgment or appreciation.

The world already has fewer good people than we need, so why turn the few good ones in your circle into monsters?

You will suffer for it too. Your business will.

You can’t treat people anyhow and expect them to sacrifice for you when you’re in trouble, especially when it’s a life-and-death situation.

Because they are working for you does not mean they are less deserving of good things.

It’s a two-way thing.

If you treat people with empathy and respect, they are more likely to treat you the same way.

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