Relationships

Like many of you, I am ever so grateful for all the knowledgeable people here at WA. I am grateful for their patience and willingness to help us who are not so technically inclined.

There are many of us here who do okay working on a computer but when it comes to inserting code it can get quite frustrating. I especially am appreciative in these moments with the patience of more knowledgeable people. These people help keep me from doing this:

So, I have been trying to think of ways I can make a contribution to this wonderful community. I don't know anything about building websites. I've never done any marketing. I definitely know nothing about programming. I found myself asking what I had to bring to the table. Besides my winning and sarcastic personality. ;)

The answer, I believe, is relationships. That is a simple way to put it.

I was a supervisor for over 20 years. I never wanted upper management because I enjoy the interaction at the lower management level. I also found I was quite good at dealing with all kinds of people. I can usually get along with most anybody. I supervised inmates for 10 years. Although, I would say some of them know more about good working relationships than many business people in the "free world".

What I want to share today is one of the things I feel made me a pretty good supervisor.

Aretha said it best. It boils down to respect. We are all very different. We have different faiths, different backgrounds, different educations levels and different languages even. We will not agree all the time. You may even find some people you won't agree with about anything.

Everyone has the right to express their opinion. We should all be calm and respectful when dealing with people who have a different viewpoint than our own. There is no need to attack anyone personally because their view differs from our own.

And it is not good business to behave that way either. For instance, if you had a "brick and mortar" business, you may overhear someone openly express their opinion that they are pro death penalty. You are of the opinion that the death penalty is wrong. Are you going to ban this customer from your store? Possibly, but you may be killing future sales and business relationships.

The same is true with communicating online. The problem with talking to people online is you cannot hear tone and you cannot see body language or facial expressions.

We don't always know if someone is kidding around if they don't add a jk or lol at the end of a sentence. A lot of mis-communication can happen.

When communicating with people online, try to keep that in mind. Don't jump to conclusions and don't attack people because they just happen to not agree with you. You will only alienate yourself.

Respect each other. I have found I don't have to like people to work with them. But, if you can't give me the same respect, I have no problem finding someone to work with whom I dislike less. :)

I learned a long time ago that there is no one who is irreplaceable.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read.

Angela