September 5, 2013 – ISSN# 1545-2646
R.I.P. – Respect
Over the past few weeks it has become blatantly clear that the concept of “Respect” is on a major decline. I’m not sure what is the reason behind such a decline but I have a few ideas for you to ponder which I believe may be contributing factors.
The decline of the family unit
The entitlement mentality
Instant gratification society
The world of “Social Media”
You may be asking yourself, why would I even write about such a topic in this business newsletter. The reality is that the decline of respect is hurting business growth. If you want your business to be lean and profitable in 2014 then you need to look at your core values and determine where and if respect is part of your current culture in tangible ways or not.
Case in point, people use cell phones with their ear pieces in and continue to talk to one person while trying to conduct business with another person right in front of them. Has technology made us ignorant to others by disrespecting the person we are face to face with? Are they not worthy of your real time and attention?
On the cyber landscape, people can lash out and dis-service others from behind the impersonal social media platforms of Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram etc. They can cause great harm to another individual having to look them in the eye. They can post, cause damage and then remove their element of sabotage. I might call it cowardly but many see it as an acceptable practice. In most cases it is disrespecting another individual and or business.
Want to learn some insights about your business, take a look at Yelp which allows for people to rate your business based on their interactions. In some cases, owners can learn about how well or poorly they are meeting customers’ expectations. In other cases the reviewer just simply likes to express their opinion with out regard for the actual realities of the situation. I have even heard of businesses getting weak reviews but they might have actually come from competitors. How is that for losing respect for doing business above board.
This week, look at your business and take count of actions internally that might be inadvertently not as respectful as they could be. Are your employees treating the customers with respect each and every time they interact with them? Do you have systems in place to deal with feedback that might be disrespecting you and or your business?
Respect MUST start at leadership level and permeate the culture of the business. How are you doing with your level of respect for others?
Wondering what level of internal or external respect footprint you might have? Give JKL Associates a call at (313) 527-7945.
Questions or comments – email us at partners@jklassociates.com or call our Office at (313) 527-7945
Copyright – JKL Associates 2013
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