温馨夜读 PART2 09 Jessie's Glove 杰西的手套

 

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[00:01.18]Jessie's Glove 杰西的手套

[00:07.97]I do a lot of management training each year for the Circle K Corporation,

[00:13.76]a national chain of convenience stores.

[00:16.71]Among the topics we address in our seminars is the retention¹ of quality employees—

[00:22.93]a real challenge to managers when you consider the pay scale in the service industry.

[00:28.80]During these discussions, I ask the participants,

[00:32.85]“What has caused you to stay long enough to become a manager?”

[00:36.68]Some time back a new manager took the question and slowly, 

[00:41.27]with her voice almost breaking, said,“It was a $19 baseball glove.” 

[00:47.95]Cynthia told the group 

[00:50.03]that she originally took a Circle K clerk job as an interim² position

[00:54.78]while she was looking for something better.

[00:57.05]On her second or third day behind the counter, 

[01:00.56]she received a phone call from her nine-year-old son, Jessie.

[01:04.99]He needed a baseball glove for Little League.

[01:07.93]She explained that as a single mother, money was very tight, 

[01:12.67]and her first check would have to go for paying bills.

[01:16.29]Perhaps she could buy his baseball glove with her second or third check.

[01:21.50]When Cynthia arrived for work the next morning, Patricia, the store manager,

[01:26.77]asked her to come to the small room in back of the store that served as an office.

[01:32.14]Cynthia wondered if she had done something wrong 

[01:35.34]or left some part of her job incomplete from the day before.

[01:39.50]She was concerned and confused.

[01:42.68]Patricia handed her a box. 

[01:45.18]“I overheard you talking to your son yesterday,” she said,

[01:49.33]“and I know that it is hard to explain things to kids.

[01:53.52]This is a baseball glove for Jessie because he may not understand how important he is,

[01:59.98]even though you have to pay bills before you can buy gloves.

[02:03.92]You know we can't pay good people like you as much as we would like to;

[02:08.63]but we do care, and I want you to know you are important to us.”

[02:13.12]The thoughtfulness, empathy and love of this convenience store manager 

[02:18.04]demonstrates vividly³ that people remember more how much an employer cares 

[02:23.62]than how much the employer pays.

[02:26.46]An important lesson for the price of a Little League baseball glove.

1 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

2 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

3 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。