A 7-Year-Old Wrote to Lego Asking for a Job. The Company's Response Was Brilliant.

FROM INC. / BY JEFF HADEN

You never know when you might make a huge difference in another person's life, so always assume you can.

A few weeks ago, Catherine asked Thomas, her 7-year-old, what he would like to be when he grows up.

I wanted to be an astronaut when I was 7; Thomas said he wanted to either run a dog hotel or be a Lego designer. Unlike me, though, Thomas was proactive.

As Catherine shared on LinkedIn:

The next day he appeared with a letter, written in his "best handwriting," asking Lego if he could work for them.

He wisely shared that he'd be available to help with designing Legos after school, on weekends, and in the holidays -- and that his sister would be keen to do the same.

His mom put the letter in the mail but also tried to manage his expectations. She told Thomas that while Lego would appreciate his letter, the company probably wouldn't respond. According to Catherine, "He looked crestfallen." 

Then a package arrived from Christian Pau, the vice president and general manager of Lego U.K. and Ireland. Inside was a Lego kit.

And a handwritten letter that said:

Dear Thomas,

Thank you so much for your letter. It is great to see how excited you are for Lego building and your creations look fantastic!

We would love your help to design even better products, but unfortunately all our product designers are sitting in Billund, which is in Denmark. We would still love to invite you to visit us in our Slough office (together with your sister and parents) for a juice/tea/coffee and a tour of the building.

My office is called "Dumbledore's Office" -- [like] the box attached. Let us know what time works for you!

All the best,
Christian

"Seeing my son light up with pride at the beautifully crafted letter," Catherine wrote, "was something I won't forget."

And neither will Thomas.

To paraphrase Maya Angelou, people may forget what you say or do, but they will never forget how you make them feel.

Who Thomas will someday be -- just like the who you, and I, have become -- will be largely due to the words and actions of other people. Most of those moments, at the time, will have been small and seemingly inconsequential.

Only when we look back can we connect the dots.

That also means we never know when our words or actions might make an impact on another person. A little encouragement. A little acceptance. A little praise. Small actions, fleeting and even insignificant to us, but possibly life-changing for another person.

Christian Pau didn't know how Thomas might react to his letter. In a broader sense, he doesn't know what Thomas's future might hold. He simply took the time to respond. 

It was a small moment to him -- but potentially a huge moment for Thomas. As Catherine wrote, "Thank you ... for making my son see that it's always worth trying."

That's the real beauty of Pau's letter. Sure, you could be cynical. You could see it as savvy marketing. As calculated brand positioning. As a deliberate attempt to go viral.

Or you could see it for what it is: someone who took a few moments during a busy day to respond to a child.

You can never predict when a small moment will make a big difference.

And that's why great businesses approach each and every customer interaction thinking that this moment ... could.