The value of relationships

Over the past few days and weeks, something that I kind of knew in the back on my mind has been crystallized as a core value of mine. Relationships! I value my relationships with others and "I will cut you" if you mess with my friends or associates. Now, no, I won't literally cut you, but you will be on my short list of people not to help out in the future.

A few situations brought this to life for me.

1) An associate of mine was being mistreated by one of her coworkers. On the level of outright rudeness and disrespect during a meeting with others present. I know the guilty party, and their behavior is absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional...and it's not the first time they have acted this way with my associate or others. I have no desire to associate with this person going forward, as it disgusts me that they would even dare to treat people that way. Mess with my friends, and you're messing with me!

2) I have a great relationship with my vendors. Today an associate sent an uniformed and slightly aggressive email to one of my vendors when a polite list of questions would have done fine. I don't take kindly to you putting my relationships with key vendors in jeopardy. These are the people who come through in a pinch when I need to turn projects around in unrealistic timelines. These are the people who bend over backwards to help ensure that my programs are a success. I need and value these people and vice versa. Mess with them, and you're messing with me!

3) Broadly over the past year, I've come to realize that email can paralyze us. I am a people person through and through (ENTJ all the way), and sending emails is not my thing. Messages are lost or misconstrued, facial expressions are absent, and meaning is muddied. I prefer to see your smiling (or grimacing) face and hear your voice so that full meaning in conveyed. I'm a worrier, and understanding the full breadth of communication that comes from verbal and non-verbal ques is really important to me to ensure I don't miss key information. In person communication helps to build and strengthen relationships and foster trust and respect.

All this to say, I value my relationships with people to the utmost. Taking care of my friends and associates is paramount because 1) no man is an island (no matter how hard he tries) and 2) without those people supporting you and helping you achieve greatness, you'll be standing at the top (or bottom) all alone with no one to share in your success (or failure).