People Are Like Potatoes

The other day, one of my daughters provided me with some wisdom she said she overheard, "Friends are like potatoes. If you eat them, they die." That aphorism was brought to mind because I've recently had some people try to bite my head off.

I was especially put off by a client that had only one volume: yelling. He yelled about everything. If he didn't understand what you said, then he yelled, "Stop confusing the issue!" If he did understand what you said, he yelled, "Tell me something I don't know."

I wasn't brave enough to take him up on that, but here is something that he didn't know. No one wants to tell him anything. And no one wants to work for him. And no one will go the extra mile for him. That's something he doesn't know.

After the client yelled at me, I found myself feeling like I didn't want to do my best for him. I didn't want to have to argue with him. I didn't want to rescue him. I wanted to do the minimum and get away from him.

Now, I am a professional, so I didn't follow through on any of those feelings. I know that I can feel my feelings, but then make a rational decision to behave differently, So I felt like flipping him the bird, but I did a good job for him and made him look good.

I just don't think that everyone responds to him that way. Many people sabotage what he wants just to spite him. Others recoil in fear and try to do whatever he wants, but they never do anything better than what he wants, because they don't want to be yelled at if he doesn't think it's better. And a lot of good people vote with their feet, because they don't need to put up with it.

When you think about the way you manage employees, or the way you treat vendors or suppliers, do you ever treat them like potatoes? If you're biting the head off Mr. Potato Head, then you're not going to get much use out of him.

I know that we're stressed, and might lash out sometimes. I know that we need to set high standards and challenge people to reach them. I know that we shouldn't put up with incompetence.

But if you find yourself treating people like potatoes, one day you're going to look up and find yourself in a potato famine. This Internet marketing stuff is hot, so the people who possess those skills are in demand. They have choices. They can choose not to work with you. So, if you think you're stressed now, wait until that happens.