I have a new client. And I have learned from him, already. He is a practitioner that manages a membership-based group of other practitioners in the Los Angeles area. Guidelines and responsibilities are very strict for members of this particular network. However, there are discounts and prestige associated with being a member.



• Members must always pay their vendors on time. Imagine that?! In order to be a member, you must always pay your vendors, and in a timely manner.
• Members must always treat vendors with respect and kindness. I know, impossible, right? If a vendor feels disrespected or is treated harshly or with the slightest rudeness, he can bring it before the founder and group leader and membership may be revoked.
• Members must revenue $1M a year or more. Yep, that's what I said. That kind of revenue pretty much guarantees that bills will be paid on time. One would hope, anyway.

I find it very interesting, in a time like we are now living, that these type of rules can be demanded. Adherence shows respect not only for oneself and for one's own business but for colleagues, service or product providers, as well as customers/patrons/patients. You would be surprised but many have applied for entrance and have failed to gain entry. Few can live up to what they must have already done, how they must act, and what they must accomplish in order to receive admittance. It actually gives me hope and sets up another ideal of deference in operations.

Whether you are in business for yourself, or you work for a corporation, or you work in a small firm, having some sort of objective in how you treat others or even how you respond may be a worthwhile endeavor. Kindness, whether forced or otherwise, has amazing results. And in forced kindness, is there an opportunity to actually learn and adopt that behavior? Perhaps, perhaps not. I imagine there are those that are successful who have never uttered a kind word to anyone. I suppose niceties get in the way of work for many individuals.

We have all heard that no man says on his death bed, "I wish I had worked more." And, of course, there is the story of Scrooge who saw his own death foretold and vicariously heard the way others spoke of his discourteous ways and the gladness in his passing.



How will you be spoken of or thought of when you are gone? This question need not only reference life, itself. When you leave a company, what impression have you left? After meeting or completing an assignment, what does your client or hiring manager think of you? After you walk out of a room, what will others think or say?

How will you leave it?


by rayannethorn