Let’s be honest. Some people are just more considerate than others.
These type of people always seem to understand how you feel. You want to be with them but do you ever want to be them? Do you think of each situation as if you are in the other person’s shoes?
Someone was helping me with a logo recently. She didn’t charge me for it, but she still found the time to send me a couple emails along the way to let me know what she’s working on and when I should expect the final design. When she missed the dates she promised, she explained why and apologized even though those recent events made it impossible for her to do what needed to be done.
It’s these types of people that I feel so lucky to be around. The completion of the work probably wouldn’t matter much to her (after all, it was for free and it was a personal favor for a friend’s friend.), but she still took the time to communicate and let me know what’s happening. On the other hand, I probably would’ve been wondering what was happening and would feel uneasy as I keep myself from asking her because I didn’t want to annoy her.
In the same scenario of getting this logo done, the two sides of the relationship had distinctly different views as you can see.
- Me, the receiver who could be wondering what’s happening
- The designer, who could have just stop communicating and kept me in the dark
In this case, the designer had control. She could’ve chose to do nothing and it wouldn’t affect her much, but what she did absolutely made a huge difference to me.
Such a small gesture, such a powerful effect.
“Okay I get it, but why should I be more considerate?” you might ask. Simple, being more considerate means:
- a better relationship with your family, actually with everyone.
- your boss is much more likely to be impressed by you with the same amount of output.
- if you are a sales person or own a business, this is the ONLY way to treat others.
- your team is more willing to work for you so things get done much easier and quicker.
- when you start being more considerate for others, they will be for you as well.
Convinced and want to start transforming yourself? Here are a couple pointers to get you started:
First, Put Yourself in Their Shoes
Obvious but an important step, you absolutely need to think of yourself in the same position to know what they are looking for. If the designer never thought about how I might be feeling, she would never send that email.
Knowing what to do gets easier with practice, so the best time to start doing this is immediately.
Communication is Key
Some people don’t want to do it, others think it’s making excuses but it’s all about letting the other party know what’s happening. These days, it’s so easy since there’s email (it’s much easier than calling) so try it. If your boss gave you a project to do by Friday, send him an email on Thursday morning letting him know that what’s been done and how you still plan to finish it by Friday. It really goes a long way and trust me, they will remember you much more come promotion time.
Bonus Tip for You Right Now
If someone is waiting for you to do something, send a quick email to that person and report your progress and when they should expect to receive what you promised. It will have a positive effect on you immediately. Guaranteed.
{ read the comments below or add one }
Well said – what goes around comes around … treat people the way you like to be treated.
Also, it’s so easy to send a quick update via email, I wonder why more people don’t do it – my tech guy sent me an email at Christmas that he got the email I sent him, but wouldn’t have time to respond for a week or two.
That’s so much better than simply ignoring me.
Polite manners (consideration falls in there) and a smile will Always open doors for you that nothing else will. Consideration will be remembered long after the sale is over – and you will have repeat customers. It’s not just being polite – it’s good business.
Mike: It’s amazingly easy but not many people seems to do this. Those that do should be rewarded 🙂
Craig: Good for you. Good and responsible companies to work with are hard to find so give them a good reference.
Sam: So true. Great friends and family are what keeps us happy.
There is nothing better than good friends. Surround yourself with nice, caring people and you will have a happy life. Sounds like a fortune cookie but is true.
I am in the process of using a design company right now and they have been good with keeping me posted on changes and updates. They have been on time with schedule updates and by keeping me in the loop it comforts me to know they are working on changes we request.
Wow. I couldn’t agree more. Having used freelance editors and graphic designers for my business, I have to say that just keeping me in the loop on progress is definitely at or near the top on lists of things to do to get repeat business.
Also, that image is great, haha. 🙂