Thanks

As a kid my father told me that when you answer someone – anyone – you always finish with ‘Sir or Ma’am.’ When I asked him why he told me: ‘You have to remember that just because you may be brighter or better off then someone else, that doesn’t mean you are better then him.’ I have found that to be a pretty good rule to live by. How that translates in the work place is that you should always act like you are visiting your grandmother’s house: say please and thank you, stand and greet people when they come into your office, speak to everyone: your secretary, your assistant, the man who fills the vending machine with Snicker’s, your very biggest customer, as if they are the most important people you will meet that day – they are.

People are not your most important asset; rather, they are your only asset. Take the crew off a ship and you have thousands of tons of inert steel. The people who work ‘for’ you and with you, the people who buy your products, the kid who delivers the paper in the morning, every single one of them is important, not only in a metaphysical sense, but in the most practical of senses: nothing will get done without them. If you are positive and friendly and polite, if you make them part of your day and communicate with them as equals, they will respond, and everyone benefits. It’s that simple. So, remember dinner at ‘Nana’s’ house and be on your best behavior – all the time.

Thanks!