It could be a matter of personal preference, but I know that I don’t personally respond too well to threats, disrespect and attempts at intimidation. Despite being young and occasionally on the learning curve, I take a lot of pride in my work, my business and the journey that has brought me here. Possibly one of the worst mistakes you can make when doing business with me is to talk down to me. Although being 5′ 3″, sometimes that’s unavoidable. But you get the point.

I don’t imagine anyone especially likes being underestimated or insulted, but still people occasionally dish it out, possibly thinking that they’ll be more likely to get what they want out of the exchange? I end that sentence with a question mark because I don’t quite understand how someone could rationalize that. Like our breakfast waitress in Las Vegas this summer who took our orders in a rather militant fashion. Does she really expect a tip when she is nearly yelling at me for not having my ID ready when ordering my mimosa? I’m on vacation, lady. Plus I’m down $300, tired and hungover, geesh.

The oddest situations are when I’m paying a service provider and they’re talking to me like I’m a jerk. What’s wrong with this picture? Is this reverse psychology? Regardless, I try to treat everyone with a level of politeness and respect that I would expect from them, whether or not I pay them or they pay me. I think they call it “common courtesy.”

At Pearse Street, we of course are the service provider in most cases. I can’t tell you how much free work we’ve done for clients who treat us like the friendly humans that we are. Or clients who clearly respect our talent and dedication to their project (this is where the bees and honey come in). Very simply, it’s nice being appreciated! It’s motivating too. Why not show off even more and throw in a few bonus features to really show them what we can do? Being “nice” really goes a long way, and I can tell you that, conversely, being strong-armed doesn’t ever successfully squeeze any extra hours out of our busy little fingers. That’s right. Trying to demean and devalue a team of high-tech professionals to guilt them into getting your website done faster and consequently sloppier is generally not good policy.

So, this is pretty basic, right? Kindergarten stuff actually. It reminds of that collection of essays, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. Here’s an excerpt:

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation.
Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into
sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your
family life or your work or your government or
your world and it holds true and clear and firm.
Think what a better world it would be if
all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about
three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with
our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments
had a basic policy to always put thing back where
they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you
are – when you go out into the world, it is best
to hold hands and stick together.

I vote for naps, cookies and working together. My days would be vastly improved if I could get others on this schedule too…

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