I wanted to share an experience I had on campus last week. I lost my student ID. (I know, I literally graduate this semester, and I lost my ID right before I’ll never need it again.) So, I did what most of us would do and called Public Safety because maybe someone had found it and turned it in. Nobody had, but they told me they could print me a new one if I brought a receipt from the business office. I thanked them for the help, and they had a new one printed for me in less than 5 minutes.
I know this story seems pointless, but when I went into the
Public Safety Office, they made a point to mention how nice I had been to them over the phone. I
was confused because I hadn’t been overly performative or anything. They told me
that most people when they speak to them, are not usually very nice, and that
honestly shocked me.
The law gets a bad reputation for being a very haughty field,
where one person thinks they’re OBVIOUSLY better than the person sitting next to
them. I’m not sure where the superiority complex comes into play, but I think
it’s important that we, as a new generation of lawyers, make sure to keep ourselves
grounded in reality. There is no need to be mean to people, especially when
they’ve done nothing to deserve it.
I’m not trying to be preachy or dictate how anyone acts. I
think we just need to remember that no matter what we do, we’re all just
people. Treat others the way you would want to be treated yourself.
This is an important post. Always be kind and patient, even when under stress. Marketing gurus will tell you the key to getting clients/customers is to get them to "know, like and trust" you. The initial step in that process is the impression made during your first contact with someone. You will never get that opportunity back.
ReplyDeleteAlex Benikov talks about how he built relationships at the courthouse with staff, judges, and lawyers. Those relationships were leveraged into a successful law practice. Brian Tannebaum's book can be summed up in a single word - relationships.
Never think you only need to be nice to those in positions of power or authority because they are the ones who can help you. Be nice to everyone, no matter their position. Besides it just being the right and decent thing to do, everyone has relationships that may reach to the top levels of the profession. If you are a jerk to them, they will convey that information to everyone they know and your reputation will be toast.
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It is important to treat everyone you interact with, whether in a professional sense or a personal/social sense, with kindness, patience, and respect. In law especially, reputation is everything. Treating people with genuine kindness will get you a lot further than being short-tempered or performative, and you never know who is watching or who knows who.