Dealing with jerks at work…
We’ve all been there. Whether it’s a client, a coworker, or even a boss – we’ve all had to work with difficult people. A negative experience can really deplete your energy, slow down productivity, and when it’s all over, you hope you don’t have to work with that person again as long as you can help it!
Wouldn’t you rather work with someone who’s nice and actually appreciates your work? Often, the working relationship has nothing to do with the work itself – rather, a positive working relationship has everything to do with the people involved.
Today, I’m writing all about how positive psychology and plain ol’ kindness can make your overall wedding planning experience more pleasant.
Think about when you have dinner a nice sit-down restaurant. What makes you leave a generous tip rather than the standard amount? For me, it’s the server.
It’s reasonable to expect a server who is polite, takes the orders, and checks in every once in awhile. But when my server does this AND they’re friendly, they smile, they make conversation, they make recommendations, etc. This makes the experience more pleasant and I’m happy to tip generously for it. It has less to do with the actual food, and has everything to do with the server’s attitude, service, and interaction.
It’s a two-way street
Of course, every interaction is a two-way street. I can’t expect to get above-and-beyond excellent service from a restaurant server or bartender if I’m being a total jerk.
Similarly, you can’t expect five-star treatment from your bridesmaids or your vendors if you’re acting like a bridezilla.
It all comes down to the Golden Rule: “Treat others the way you’d like to be treated”.
So let’s go back to basics and focus on kindness for a minute. With the holiday season in full swing, it’s a nice reminder to be warm, thankful, and all-around kind to everyone you come across – from the people you love to total strangers. I’d like to extend this to include your wedding attendants and your wedding vendors.
It takes almost no effort to be kind and polite, but the payoffs are enormous.
Practice kindness
Practicing kindness can be as simple as saying, “please” and “thank you;” and letting folks know that you value and appreciate their help.
And if you’re working with vendors, a little kindness goes a long way. If you think about it, most of your vendors are artists (chefs, photographers, florists, musicians, etc.), and their work is very personal. So if you’re contacting a vendor for a creative service, you probably like their style – so just take a minute to express your interest and genuine appreciation in their work. This can be as simple as starting your message or conversation with something like, “Your wedding cakes are beautiful!”
It doesn’t take much effort to make someone feel good about their passion. Plus, this sets a positive vibe for the potential working relationship – which is a major bonus.
So be kind, polite, and show appreciation to all of your wedding helpers – whether they’re paid vendors or volunteer family and friends. When you’re nice to people, they tend to be nice to you in return and you become likeable. And when people like you, they’ll want to do a good job for you!
So let’s go back to basics to stay positive: be kind!
Leave a Reply