This may or may not come as a shock to those who don’t know me well but have read some of my diatribes, but I am an extremely principled person in the way I conduct myself personally and professionally. In all fairness, I’m not always refined in my delivery of it (I’ve got a mouth that would make a sailor blush and a lack of patience that occasionally puts me in my own way) but the final product – irrespective of refinement – always comes from a place of principle and, despite my occasional potty mouth, is usually articulate.
So, it’s always confusing to me when an issue arises, and people approach this issue with demands, demeaning those they hope to (help) resolve it or otherwise hope to maintain a relationship with, and/or a general sense of entitlement as to the outcome. Hell, even if you don’t intend to maintain a relationship, who wins with that approach? Who is expected to win by treating people that way? Why come out the chute denigrating and demeaning when you could, I don’t know……. pause and ask questions or just be decent and respectful.
People will make mistakes. Businesses will make mistakes. Clients will – shockingly – make mistakes. It’s less important that you or anyone else execute flawlessly every time and more important that you’re able to create consistency in the way you manage to the downside. Especially when those pesky mistakes get made. And by consistency, I don’t mean something procedural or beholden to a process, I mean something rooted in an overarching philosophy that guides you to, and through, resolution.
The philosophy for most businesses, ours in particular, is one of respect, gratitude, and industriousness. As a result, we start every interaction from a place of treating others (clients, coworkers, vendors, etc.) the way they expect to be treated. It’s our baseline for interactions and we wouldn’t tolerate any less. Because I don’t care if you’re a client, a vendor, or something else entirely, nobody is above decency. And if you feel you are, then we won’t be working together.
Simply put, don’t be shitty to other people.
Who would have guessed some adults need that reminder…….
-Mark