I was reading an article about Christina Tosi and she said she likes to make cookies for people who don't expect them. To be fair, I don't think this is what she had in mind but...it sparked a memory of when I made cookies for a co-worker. He was a grouch on a regular basis. When women from the development staff came to his office for help, they would flirt with him and bring cookies. I never understood the flirting and flattery because he was such a disagreeable person in the office. He was supposedely a totally different, and friendly, guy outside of work. I didn't see that side.
When I first started working in the support department, I took direction from the grouch. He wasn't my manager but he did give me tasks to perform. I can recall numerous times of going to his cubicle for clarification of a task and he'd just sit there typing away and staring at his monitor without even acknowledging I was there. I patiently waited for a response--or perhaps I stubbornly refused to leave without one. Either way, it was an unpleasant relationship for me.
My cubicle was right next to the grouch's and I overheard so many of his conversations--it isn't eaves dropping if there's no way to not hear when minding your own business! I overheard him once say that chocolate chip cookies were his favorite. So I decided to try a little experiment on improving his attitude. I whipped up a batch of some fabulous chocolate chip cookies and left them on his desk...anonymously. He was so delighted and spent the day trying to figure out which woman had left them on his desk. Oh, the irony.
Anyhoo, it made him easier to be around and I delighted in my little secret all week which I shared with my good friend, and also co-worker, because secrets are so much more fun when shared.