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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
\u201cTreat others the way you\u2019d want to be treated.\u201d When I think about how many times I\u2019ve heard that phrase, I\u2019m reminded of how often I don\u2019t adhere to the message. I\u2019d like to take this moment to pause and reflect with you.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurship is a wild ride! One moment you\u2019re sending invoices, the next you\u2019re building reports that may or may not impress board members \u2014 and before you realize it, you\u2019ve lost track of how you\u2019re treating the people around you. That includes your team, clients and vendors. Or \u2026 is it just me<\/i> who needs to reset?<\/p>\n
Resetting can be good for your overall business, too. According to LRN Corporation\u2019s Benchmark of Ethical Culture study<\/a>, companies with strong ethical cultures outperform by 40% across employee and client satisfaction, growth and innovation. The ROI on kindness is worth it alone.<\/p>\n Over the last few months, I\u2019ve noticed an almost paradigm shift: The people we work with are stressed and overwhelmed \u2014 which I ask, who can blame them? Globally, things are \u2026 interesting \u2026 and it\u2019s easy to forget to act with patience and kindness (even when you don\u2019t really<\/i> want to).<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got three tips that help me reset my attitude towards the people around me to maintain or mend relationships. Don\u2019t worry, you won\u2019t have to buy a bunch of flowers to do this.<\/p>\n We recently had a situation where a client wasn\u2019t responding to our team as a major deadline was approaching. While we were brainstorming, it was brought up that the client was showing signs of stress \u2014 short email responses, forgetting small details, etc. I suggested to my team member to ask the client how we can make their week easier. This wasn\u2019t a direct, \u201cHey, you seem stressed\u201d call out, but rather a gentle nod to remind them that we\u2019re attentive to their needs and readily available to assist.<\/p>\n How much of a relief would it be for someone to recognize when we\u2019re<\/i> stressed and offer to do whatever we need to get through the week? How would you feel if the unspoken was tended to? My guess? Pretty good, reassuring and comforting. That\u2019s how I like my clients to feel, and it only takes a moment to reset the tone and to remember that empathy isn\u2019t just about feeling \u2014 it\u2019s really the action that makes a change.<\/p>\n Our colleagues likely won\u2019t always express what\u2019s going on in their lives. And trust me, I know it\u2019s none of our business to ask specific or prying questions. I often imagine, \u201cWhat if this person seldom has time to express anything<\/i>?\u201d Simply using the first two minutes of a call with \u201cfriendlies\u201d is a way to both build the relationship and learn about what\u2019s going on in the other person\u2019s day.<\/p>\n And in terms of resetting, when you allow other people to open up and speak, it gives you the chance to reflect on the urgency of whatever strong emotion you might\u2019ve been feeling just moments before. Use the space between them speaking and your stress to breathe a little bit.<\/p>\n For me, this tip really recentered me on a day I was having the toughest morning: My car wouldn\u2019t start, and my kids were late to school, which made me late to the office. I was a mess!<\/p>\n As I rushed through my morning meeting, I asked the other person how their day was going,<\/i> to which I was shocked to hear that the night before, they had to put their dog down. That\u2019s a way to knock you back to reality! I was able to move on from my \u201cbad day\u201d and be kinder to people that day.<\/p>\n And read it again with a slightly different perspective. I find that the written word lends itself to misinterpretation \u2014 a lot. Revisiting the first point, while a short email response might feel rude or dismissive, how you receive the response is equally important. So give it a little grace. They are just words after all. Reread the email, text, feedback, etc., as plainly as the words are written.<\/p>\n Is there a reason that you<\/i> are taking offense to anything? Is the email unclear and requires a quick clarifying phone conversation? Reread the email without the emotion attached. Because if you respond based on perceived anger and the other party didn\u2019t actually have poor intentions, now you\u2019ve just put yourself in an unnecessary situation.<\/p>\n Reread the email, and you might catch the joke or the awkwardness mistaken for dryness. In my experience, when I feel ready to respond or react to an email that comes across as rude, I ask, \u201cWhat if they didn\u2019t mean it that way?\u201d<\/p>\n There are many ways you can reset your attitude towards people: Take a light walk in between meetings, listen to calming music, sit alone for a few moments before reengaging \u2014 whatever works for you, do it! And when it comes to the people you spend the most time with \u2014 and let\u2019s face it, it isn\u2019t always family \u2014 find ways to get through that tough meeting with the tough client by treating them the way you\u2019d want to be treated.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cTreat others the way you\u2019d want to be treated.\u201d When I think about how many times I\u2019ve heard that phrase, I\u2019m reminded of how often I don\u2019t adhere to the message. I\u2019d like to take this moment to pause and reflect with you.<\/p>\n Entrepreneurship is a wild ride! One moment you\u2019re sending invoices, the next you\u2019re building reports that may or may not impress board members \u2014 and before you realize it, you\u2019ve lost track of how you\u2019re treating the people around you. That includes your team, clients and vendors. Or \u2026 is it just me<\/i> who needs to reset?<\/p>\n Resetting can be good for your overall business, too. According to LRN Corporation\u2019s Benchmark of Ethical Culture study<\/a>, companies with strong ethical cultures outperform by 40% across employee and client satisfaction, growth and innovation. The ROI on kindness is worth it alone.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nPay attention to what\u2019s in front of you<\/h2>\n
Ask how they\u2019re doing<\/h2>\n
Reread that email<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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