It Pays To Be Polite In Business And In Life
From a young age, we’re taught the importance of manners. Even as a child, most of us realize that you don’t get anything unless you ask for it right. Throughout our school years, our teachers reiterate the point again and again. Hence, we learn how to ask for things, share, and get along with one another. In turn, we develop friendships and get further. That’s the way of the world when it comes to manners.
Yet, in business, it often seems as though manners vanish. There’s no getting around the fact that some business leaders have forgotten those early lessons. Somewhere along the line, they decided they were above the manners of the measly masses. Instead, they bark orders, step on toes, and get far doing it.
Seeing people like this succeeding can be confusing. You spent years being told that manners were the only way to get anywhere. Suddenly, you see this bolshy, mannerless individual making it big. Then, you look at your workforce and start to question whether manners are the way forward. Well, to put it bluntly; they are. Never let one terrible leader convince you otherwise. As proof, we’re going to look at a few ways manners can take you far in business.
A gentle nudge gets results
A bolshy leader will give an almighty nudge to colleagues and customers when they want something done. They won’t ask, they’ll bark orders. Instead of politely reminding customers of meetings with something like these appointment reminders, they’ll call up and push the sale. What happens when you approach business in this way? You don’t get results.
If you shout at colleagues to get jobs done, they’ll work slowly to get back at you. Nobody appreciates being yelled at, and nor should they. And, if you’re too pushy with customers, they’ll run the other way. Hence, no sale, and no payment.
Male Man Businessman Success Work Business Job
Getting a job done with a p and a q
Let’s not forget the most fundamental lesson of manners – always say please and thank you. There are too many bosses out there who forget this simple fact. But, they can bet their employees still remember. Hence, work ethic and team morale will slump. And, if a business leader who does say thank you comes along, you can bet you’ll lose valuable team members. It doesn’t cost anything to say these little words, but it could cost a lot to forget them.
Smiling is contagious
While smiling isn’t something you’d automatically associate with manners, it falls under the same category. We smile to be polite. It’s a visual signifier that we’re approachable, or well-mannered. Yet, some bosses do nothing more in a day than scowl. Not only is this rude, but it promotes hostile responses in staff. By comparison, smiling is contagious. If you smile at your colleagues, they’ll find it near enough impossible not to smile back at you. And, when everyone in your office is smiling, you can be sure they’ll be a lot more productive!
