In the following minute we’ll draw together on a post-it the most important principles of helping someone. So, take a post-it and a pen and let’s draw together.

1. Treat everybody with a smile. This will indicate your availability and willingness to help.

2. It’s very important to listen carefully to the problem being reported. Don’t judge and don’t think about a solution, just listen actively.

3. People come to you because they have a problem and they expect you to feel their pain, so empathize with them. Try to get into their shoes and show them you care.

4. Write down the problem details. While it may seem easy to remember, this will not be true several days later.

5. Never say “no”. Nothing is more frustrating than having a problem and being told upfront that your problem will not be solved. Or even worse, being told that you don’t have a problem.

6. Obviously the next step is to do the hard work to solve the actual problem.

7. At last but not least, communicate. Communicate the completion, and status after various steps when the resolution time is long.

Now, having finished the drawing, just affix the post-it on the side of your monitor. When the next people comes asking for help, just take a quick glance at the post-it and follow the steps. In a matter of days, this will become a habit.