Back in July, a groups of girlfriends and I went to our annual trip away to a cabin. Normally, we do a weekend in September, but switched things up this year with a July trip and midweek instead of a weekend.
One thing didn’t change, the town. We went to the small town of Murphys, CA. If you’ve not been there, go!
With a population of less than 2,500, it’s a small town, but it has quaint restaurants, tasting rooms, antiques and shops with “gorgeous little things”.
So on the Tuesday afternoon, my girlfriends and I were wandering around the town, stopping and shopping, when I hear an English accent. I will say that I’m drawn to my fellow countrymen, just because I’m still a fish out of water here even though I’ve been living here happily for more than 5 years. It’s something tribal I’m sure, and has a lot to do with sharing the same sense of humour (and of course, spelling!)
When I found the accent and the person it belonged to, I came face to face with someone that I used to work with 20 years ago. Not only did we work together, our desks butted, and we had shared custody of a stapler.
We chatted and coincidentally, he was on vacation for 4 weeks in California and happened to find himself (and his family) in Murphys, California on a Tuesday afternoon. What are the odds?
He had a wife and 2 kids that he hadn’t had when we last spoke. We chatted, and passed the time of day, both amazed at the huge coincidence that had bought us together after 20 years.
This is where the business stuff comes into play. I didn’t like him that much back then, and I’m sure he didn’t like me either, but we had similar social circles, and both worked for a music company who’s perks included tickets to see bands almost every night of the week. We saw each other everywhere we went. We’d nod at each other, and just like last month, pass the time of day.
We didn’t have to like each other to get along enough to work together.
I go to networking events in Sacramento and see lots of people. Some I like and gravitate towards, and I have to kick myself to branch out from that comfortable “people I know” zone.
I also see the awful women who I sat next to one time who was so rude to me and then dismissive, I wanted to ask her if being a witch came naturally or did she have to practice. I already know the answer, naturally.
I also see the people who I met at the very first tweet-up I went to, who were charming, inclusive, and are still some of my favorite people in town.
I see the person who brings her obvious agenda; it’s so big it appears to hover over her like a zeppelin. I avoid that corner of the room.
Anyway, the point of this blog entry is to tell you that how you treat people when you meet them will affect your relationship with them forever. They might not like you, or you them, but it’s not how compatible you are as people or how you bond, but how you interact with them.
Be kind to people and behave with grace, and regardless of friendships, or “like” or “dislike”, people always remember how you treat them.
Back to my old work colleague, his wife wandered over, and I happened to know her sister!
What are the odds of that? www.fionarossconsulting.com
Fiona Ross Consulting 