Respect

Respect

Business, if you like, is a world reflecting all of the values we maintain in society as a whole – but a little more so. We are politer, keep our word, show up on time for meetings and maintain our agreements and show understanding for differences of opinion.

At least, I thought so. I thought that doing business, particularly if you talk about international business – meant that everyone would stick to those “rules of engagement”. But since we have started this website, and I started writing a blog on Fitness*, I have learnt differently. I have found that there are plenty of people out there with their own views – great. What is not so great is that there seems to be little respect with regards to other people’s views as those opinions are voiced using many words my mother wouldn’t even recognise, let alone condone.

It makes me wonder why – have we become so intolerant of one another that we feel we cannot even voice our opinion in a normal way? Are we not taught the right language in schools around the globe? Or is there a certain arrogance that makes us feel that above all, we are absolutely right and therefore we can say what we like, in any wording that we like without taking the least bit of notice of hurting the other person’s feelings or beliefs. I am not talking politics here, by the way, I am still talking business although of course many of the above applies outside of our entrepreneurial world too.

In the N-Factor, our book on using networking successfully in business, we let authors from around the world share their own culture’s view on networking, on interacting with their culture and how to do it successfully. It means taking note of differences and it means also putting aside your own beliefs so you can treat those of the country you wish to do business in with the respect it deserves. It is that putting aside of your own beliefs that so many of us seem to find very hard. When I lived in the Middle East, I would defer to local customs and wear long-sleeved, long-legged clothing. Why? Not because it meant I could be deported if I did not, but also because you simply understand that people might take offense if you don’t. You are visiting their country after all.

It is the same in our newly founded Internet-world, whether you are physically in front of someone or virtually – you show understanding for the beliefs on that site or you simply don’t visit. Whilst I feel strongly that everyone is entitled to their likes and dislikes, tastes and views – I would argue that if we cannot maintain that Respect for one another in our business environment, we haven’t got a hope in hell to do it in the rest of our lives.

I wish you all wisdom and happiness in the year to come and hope you will find richness in your experiences and encounters.

* If you are interested in Health & Fitness, I respectfully invite you to read my blogs on www.marionfreijsen.com

3 Comments

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• Patrick McEntee | Dec 27, 2009 06:19 PM

  Type a comment...

• Bill Evans | Dec 30, 2009 09:11 AM

  The internet allows people with little respect or intelligence who are basically cowards to voice obsence and offensive thoughts. It takes very few brains to say something but it requires them to think. Politics has become a noise and the old adage has become true " the noisey wheel gets the grease". But in that aspect of life there are cowards on both sides of the conversation. I publish on my site articles written by gifted and talented folks and I have resisted the push for years to allow blogging on my site in connection with these articles. At first my authors were concerned that I was missing an avneue for discourse but have recently found as you have that there is alot of trash being written and presented as ideas. I had a response feature on the site and found I got trash on it as well. I removed that. I get opinions on the articles but when a person has to take time to compose thoughts into an email I tend to get intelligent thoughts.

• sarah kornfeld | Dec 30, 2009 03:15 PM

  Marion! What a great post. I think the time we are living in is complicated - we have all of this technology at our fingers to "communicate" - but we don't always remember the true meaning of the root of the word - the latin that is - communicate means, "share...impart...communion...preparing the way...". For me, when people use the worst of themselves to communicate (or do business) it's because they think they have power in being aggressive. Communication, at it's best, is always leadership: you are teaching by doing, and learning through interaction. Perhaps in 2010 we can call upon the root of the word more, and not the thrill of seeing four letter words zip by in an email that will, most certainly, be forgotten.

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