Respect: A Success Indicator

Watching people interact with each other can be entertaining and fascinating to observe. Given the numerous factors of role, relationship, situation and many other variables at play, they often lead to interesting and unexpected conversations. Some of my favorites are observing elderly married couples treating each with the utmost kindness and respect. Another, well mannered children talking where there are questions, answers, discovery and understanding. Truly warms my heart.

Conversely, for a long time now, I've been disappointed in the way most people talk AT (operative) people working in retail environments. All too often it seems that the customer could be talking to a kiosk, rather than another person. They have no respect for the person trying to serve them. The excuses for this behavior are plentiful, but I do not accept any of them. The most popular is blaming the level of customer service these days. Again, not accepting it. I've never worked in retail, so I personally can't describe the experience, but I imagine it to be tiring and demoralizing.

I can identify with, and have experience in, the way businesspeople interact with each other. Similar to the way retail people are treated, I've seen (as I'm sure you have as well) patience, disrespect, stubbornness, kindness, anger, etc. Name that emotion, and if you've spent any time in the business world, you've likely witnessed it. Respect of others I believe to be the most important trait in business as it is so fundamental. Without it, I don't believe effective collaboration and dialog are possible. Certainly, there are many jobs out there where this is not necessary, but how about marketing? Can you be a effective marketer today if you go about being disrespectful others? Can you anticipate customer needs if you fundamentally don't respect others? Can you communicate with them? Can you design a quality marketing experience without respect? Maybe in days of yesterday when marketing was a one-way medium, it was possible, but today it is much more like to a two-way dialog. Without inherent respect for others, you cannot be a successful marketing professional. When choosing marketing partners, it might be wise to go to lunch together before making a decision to work together, and observe how they treat the wait staff. You might just get a glimpse into the potential success of your future marketing programs.