I am dealing with a situation with a friend and business colleague that has stumped me. This person will not call me back and if he does, it is after I leave 4-5 messages. This is not a situation where I am trying to sell him something. We are actually engaged together in a project. Ha.
At first blush most people would just stop calling and consider the relationship over. I am choosing to use this as a teaching and learning project. When someone will not call you back it is usually due to one of two reasons. (1) They don’t respect you, or (2) they think they are too important to be bothered. You cannot make someone respect you so I want to deal with the second reason. Sometimes people get to the point in life where they think they are important enough, smart enough, and successful enough that they shouldn’t follow some basic common courtesies. This is what I want to talk about. I call it the “Bob” factor.
When I started selling hotels, the very first person I called on was Bob who owned a little Days Inn hotel in McDonough Georgia. Bob is a smart guy and clearly knew I didn’t know what I was talking about and I didn’t even have a business card. He could have brushed me aside. He didn’t. He took a half hour and talked with me as though I knew what I was doing and showed an unwarranted amount of kindness and respect to me. That meeting with him made a deep impression on me and one that I have never forgotten. Even to this day, I try as best I can to call everyone back regardless of what they are selling and it is because I want to show them the same kindness Bob showed me that day.
I believe people will reap what they sow. there is a verse in the bible that speaks to this very subject. If you are disrespectful and ugly to someone today there is a good chance you won’t reap that back today. That said, I believe there will be a day when you will grasp this concept because that will be the day you are treated like you treated others.
Status, money, lifestyle and health can change and it can change quickly. Today you may say, I don’t need to be kind or show respect because I am above it, but there will be a day when you will look back and long for someone to show you respect and be kind.
A smart guy once told me, never put something in writing that you would be ashamed to read aloud in court. Pretty good advice. I would add that you should never treat others in such a way that you would be ashamed to have it exposed in public. Sow (treat others) like you want to be treated because as silly as it may sound, the crop you sow is the crop you will reap. When you look at your “field” of life and what you have sown, you will one day find yourself standing on the back porch of life watching that crop you sowed come to harvest in your life. KT
Keith, I don’t know how you do this. But today alone you have hit on the exact two issues I am dealing with in my own life. Thank you again for proving that God does hear our plea and answers with wisdom through His messenger. Love you.