Image by Ninian Reid via Flickr
Maybe I’m getting less flexible as I get older. Not the kind of flexibility that might affect my golf swing, thank you. No, I mean my willingness to consider other points of view. Maybe I really do want to become, or HAVE become, what the Mrs. sometimes accuses me of being: a grumpy old man. An Altacocker. Could be.
Here’s why I raise the issue. I asked another consultant yesterday if they’d ever fired a client, either as a consultant or during their previous career in the corporate world. His response isn’t material for a family blog such as this. But it did get me thinking.
I think it’s important to draw lines sometimes. While I kind of pride myself on being open to any point of view that’s based in fact as well as belief systems that differ quite a bit from mine, I do draw lines. For example, years ago I had a client ask me to falsify something as part of an order. I drew a line even though the order went elsewhere. So did future orders. I was, and am, totally OK with that.
I’ve mentioned before that the single most important thing you can find out when considering a new position is the person for whom you’ll be working. What are they like? What are their values? If those things don’t correspond in some way to yours, the odds are that you’re going to be miserable. They don’t need to be identical; in a perfect world they’d be more evolved and serve as yardsticks against which you can measure your own beliefs, standards, and values. If not, that’s a boss you’ll be firing someday. Maybe not as their supervisor, but you’ll be firing them.
I’m really lucky. I do business these days with folks I’d invite to dinner in my home because I enjoy and respect them as people as well as clients who pay the bills. After all, if you don’t lie down with dogs, you’ll never wake up with fleas, right?
Consult Keith 