Treat everyone with respect

Today, I helped out a woman I supervise. She has been unable to get an audience with one of the directors at the U, & because he wouldn’t meet with her or respond to her e-mails, she couldn’t get her problem fixed.

I talked to her about what was going on & suggested that we give him a call. I called him directly and put him on the speaker phone. We did that whole exchange of pleasantries thing, and then he said he would be over that day to fix her computer problem.

I noticed inside an ego part of me that wanted to feel like a big shot because I was able to make this small thing happen. At the same time, I remembered how aggravating it is when someone won’t give you the time of day just because your title isn’t “big” enough. I tried very hard not to shoot off my ego and to be respectful of my colleague so that she would not feel belittled by the help I was able to offer.

I think I was successful. I hope so, anyway.

Now comes a hard one – when treating someone with respect means respecting her enough to give her some truth I expect she will not enjoy hearing. But she needs at least the opportunity to hear it.

Everyone?

Yep, everyone.

Even the ones who make me want to bang my head against a wall?

Maybe even especially those ones.

Well that blows. I don’t want to do it.

That’s why this is a spiritual exercise!!!

I do believe in this goal but I am also aware there are some people I don’t have much respect for. So I don’t yet know how to accomplish this.

I read an article once, about a policeman who was a pro at doing this. Every person he had contact with he respected. This included not just his family, friends and co-workers but all the people he ever arrested. I was in awe that someone could respect everyone that well and completely.

Treat everyone with respect regardless of their behavior and regardless of whether or not I like them.

Doing this does not mean condoning outrageous behavior nor supporting ideas or beliefs that I do not agree with.

I worked for a guy once, years ago, who never once treated me as anything other than his equal and he did this without ever discounting the fact that he had at least 25 years more experience than I did. Thanks Cirillo for the role modeling!