The Golden Rule of Business

Yes, that Golden Rule.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  It’s a rule that works, every time.  But, when you forget to treat others the way you want to be treated, we have a problem.  It’s never about the business owner or the department manager!  It’s always about your customers, your employees, and your prospects, all of the people you interact with every day, including your family and friends.  

Business is no different than life

The truly successful business creates memories, positive, happy memories.  You’ve no doubt heard the phrase “the customer experience”.  Try this.  Substitute the name of a real person, someone who interacted with you and your business today.  Place yourself in their shoes.  Now, from beginning to end, what was that person’s experience? Describe the memories that person will surely share with others.  Be honest and be specific.

Some of you are failing miserably  

I am dismayed whenever I hear stories from people looking for work about how they’ve been treated by prospective employers.  You know the drill.

• You have a job opening in your company
• Advertising generates a flood of applications
• You are busy running your business.  (After all, you are short staffed)
• The stack of applications grows
• You blitz through them looking for those gems to interview
• The remainder get tossed  
• You rationalize, if they’re really interested they’ll contact me again
• You justify ignoring phone calls and emails by saying “I’m too busy”.  Or maybe you fear telling people no  
• And, what do you say when you re-advertize the job because you aren't satisfied with the quality of the applicants

By making it about you, you have made the fatal error.

Sound familiar?

Mary Smith sends you her resume.  Maybe she’s new in the job market.  Maybe she has a job but it’s not what she was trained to do.  Maybe her job barely pays the bills.  She has applied for positions over and over but rarely if ever hears back from the prospective employer.  She sees herself as a big person, able to handle rejection.  She knows the competition is tough.  She’d just like to know why she wasn’t considered.  Where is the hole in her resume?  What does she need to do to be considered next time?  She’d treasure feedback of any kind.  Hell, she’d like to know that her resume got to you okay. What’s the time line for you to make a decision?  Maybe she’s waiting by her phone because you promised to get back to her by Thursday, and you haven’t delivered on your promise.  She wants some courtesy. She wants you to remember that her time is precious too, not to mention her anxiety and other feelings. 

Do you practice the Golden Rule?

If you were applying for a job with your company, how would you be treated?  If you ignore people they’ll go away alright, but rest assured that they won’t go quietly.  Their friends and families will all know about you and how you behave.  Your reputation and that of your business will be scarred.  Forget about you walking in someone's shoes, answer this question.  Would you like your son or daughter to be treated the way you treated Mary Smith?

Michael Jackson got something right 

I'm starting with the Man in the Mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you wanna make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

Jackson may have had the hit, but the songwriters Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard made the magic in the music.

The bottom line

Happy customers, happy employees, happy suppliers and happy families make for a more productive and successful life.  Relationships matter, no matter how short.  And, it applies to everything you do.