People are People

Several months ago, my manager and I were in Louisiana preparing to speak the next morning to a group of managers and executives that we recruit for. Some of the people in the room would be pretty high within this organization and my manager was a bit nervous about speaking to them. I simple reminded him that - people are people.

That same night, we were watching the news and we saw the story of actor Heath Ledger who had passed away earlier that day. I spoke up and said, "You see. That's a famous actor. Known around the world. More money than we'll ever have. But when it came down to it, they rolled him out naked and in a body bag just like they would you, me, or anyone else. People are just people."

I'm not sure why some people change their behavior, the way they dress, or even go to all the trouble of redesigning themselves when they know they are going to encounter someone who has had a little success. See, I believe that you treat people respectfully. You listen to what they have to say. And you try to identify with the things that motivate them and are of interest to them. But I also believe you do that with every person that you meet - not just the ones you are trying to impress. Am I successful at doing this consistently - not even close. But it's what I aspire to.

Think of the ways that we modified our behaviors, clothing, music, morals, etc. when we were in high school. Being liked and accepted was so important to us. But why? How many of those people do you still see or talk to today? For me - very, very few. Be true to yourself and the character/integrity that you hold tight to.