How an unforgiving spirit hurts business

So while out in my volunteer work I noticed a dog of the family I was going to visit walking around the neighborhood. When saw me he gave me this look as if I was a stranger. "That's odd," I said to myself. I started to second guess myself and thought that maybe it was a different dog. No, this definitely was to dog.

The reason I found the dog's response odd is because every time I visit the family in their home, the dog is ecstatic, I mean a trip to Disneyland excited when he sees me. So his behavior puzzled me.

When I finally arrived at the home, I told one of my friends that I saw their dog outside. They said, "Oh yeah, but he's not supposed to be out there. The pound sent us a letter that he needs to have tags. He sometimes darts out of the house when the door opens."

Now it all began to make sense to me. The dog was on the run, in a sense. He obviously was trying to avoid going back home which would explain his seemingly odd behavior toward me.

After the dog was brought back into the house, he climbed onto the couch where I was at and. I then proceed to scold him for ignoring me outside. Immediately the countenance on his face began to change and he began to whimper loudly. I remember seeing a look of guilt and shame cut across his face. As I kept talking he turned his head away in shame and I figured at this point he probably had enough. I then began to stroke him gently on the back, repeating the word I forgive you. " I forgive you, buddy, it's OK. Next time, do better," I said comfortingly. His face lit up and he began to wag his tail.

The funny thing is that after I told him that I forgave him, I felt better in my heart. It takes emotional and mental energy to stay mad at someone. However, letting it go is relieving.

Realizing that we are all humans who make mistakes, it's important to keep in mind that the people you do business with will also make mistakes. This should come as no surprise. The question is, how do you respond when it happens?

Like the dog from my story, we may not have the full backstory as to why a business partner and or client behaved in the manner that they did. Was there something going on in their personal life that week? Has their schedule become more hectic this week due to unforeseen circumstances? Are they sick?

Now obviously, some mistakes are more serious than others but most mistakes in business can be overlooked by giving people the benefit of the doubt and communicating kindly and professionally via e-mail and over the phone.

An unforgiving spirit and tone of arrogance will surely have a negative spirit on your overall bottom line and you may naively cut off an ally who could help take your brand to the next level.

Besides, we make mistakes in business all the time. However, don't we appreciate it when our clients and partners give us the benefit of the doubt? Could we not extend that same courtesy in business when the mistakes minor?

#Business #JosephBonner #Forgivness #BottomLine #BusinessCoach #Success