Of course, we should all go through life treating everyone like humans. Being kind to everyone we meet, listening to each other and being respectful. But even the best of us don’t abide by that 100% of the time. I saw many instances of people at their worst while with their families at “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
My family and I spent the week before Thanksgiving celebrating our daughter’s 5th birthday at Disney World. And while we had some amazing moments of our own, the one thing I’ve been reflecting on is the unreasonably poor behavior of a few of my fellow patrons.
Between dads sarcastically showering praise at gate attendants for not letting them into the park early, and moms barking orders to college kids about food orders being incorrect – Disney can be a great people watching opportunity. And the one thing that kept coming into my mind while I’d see these instances of nasty behavior was how embarrassed their clients would be if they saw that behavior.
You Represent More Than Yourself
Growing up as a part of a recognizable family business, I always tried to have the thought process of “how would this look for the family?” And this was LONG before cell phone videos and people going viral for calling police on lemonade-selling kids.
I try to continue that thought process now that I have my own business, but with a new twist: What if being kind to this person would result in them becoming a long-term client?
Should money be a motivating force in your behavior? Probably not. But if you pretend the name of your business is on your shirt everywhere you go – you’re more likely to behave.
If you didn’t work in the service industry as a kid and know how to treat people like humans, treat people like humans. If that’s too much to ask, treat people like they might turn into a potential client. You never know who is watching (aside from Santa, he’s always watching.)