A surprising thing happened as I left my local Starbucks earlier in the week.
As I began to open the door, another customer approached from outside. I held the door open for them, as my mother taught me long ago. And then the surprise occurred: she smiled and thanked me.
I’ve been thinking about this for days. Why? Because I don’t see as much common courtesy these days as I did years ago. It isn’t at all unusual for me to hold a door for someone without any acknowledgement or even a glance or smile from that person.
What does this have to do with clients and agencies?
Maybe everything.
We live in a hectic world, full of change and new technologies that make our lives and work even more impersonal. AI is changing our lives and our work in dramatic ways. We work harder, are always on, and still it is hard to keep up. Some politicians and members of the media have normalized name-calling.
But, here’s the real issue: AI isn’t going to make us kinder and more thoughtful. That is uniquely up to us as people. And a commitment to basic good manners is a commitment all clients and agencies should accept:
- Appreciate your partners as people, and tell them
- Be on time for meetings
- End meetings on time
- Thank people for their efforts
- Be considerate of your partners as people, not just coworkers
- Ask questions respectfully
- Give your partner adequate time to complete important work
- Ask your partner how you can be a better partner
None of the above is hard. All of this simply requires a commitment to really see the people we interact with as people and treat them well.
And while you’re at it, smile and thank the next person that holds a door open for you.
Steve Boehler, founder, and partner at Mercer Island Group has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Ulta Beauty, Microsoft, UScellular, Nintendo, Kaiser Permanente, Holland America Line, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Brooks Running, and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles, and Jif.
Mercer Island Group helps marketers and agencies succeed. Company leadership is as much at home with marketers and their C-Suites as in an agency’s boardroom. With marketers, Mercer Island Group is a top 5 agency search consultancy covering all types of agency relationships (creative, media, web, PR, experiential) and assists marketers with marketing organization structure, workflow and critical skill development (briefing, creative evaluation & feedback, etc.). The company also supports leading and aspiring agencies with positioning, pitch and strategy training and pitch support.