Manners Matter

This past weekend, Andy and I traveled to Ft Worth for AdvoCare's Success School.  To say it was an incredible weekend is such an understatement.  AdvoCare is overflowing with life changing opportunities.  We learned, we envisioned, we enjoyed every moment of it.  There were a few things however that I began to notice, an interesting little phenomenon called manners.

There were close to 7000 people at this Success School.  7000 people vying for seats as close to the stage as possible, 7000 people wanting to learn and grow and see success happen.  There were close to 7000 people in that one room, which meant needing to climb over one another every now and then.  It was as we sat, waiting for a session to start, that I began to notice one simple fact: some people have no manners.  Andy sat on the end of our row, and a young woman whom we do not know began leaning on him and trying to see who was in the row.  Then, people sitting in the middle of our row began flowing in and out, sometimes stepping on our toes, and never once did they apologize or use the phrase, "excuse me."  So I watched, and I watched, and I observed a little more, and a rather profound thought struck me.  The people who are successful in AdvoCare know that manners matter.  They use "excuse me," and they do not push and shove their way to the front.  No, they are much more likely to give up a good seat for someone who desires to learn and grow.  They do not think only of themselves, but truly see the people around them, and take notice of them.

Saturday evening, Andy, my best friend, and I were able to sit down and talk to Ron Reynolds, who is like the Yoda of AdvoCare.  He is wise and a deep well of knowledge, he is honest, and he will encourage and guide those seeking help.  We sat there, and experienced the occassional interruptions.  The leaders in the company, and the members of our Scientific & Medical Advisory Board, without fail, walked up, said, "excuse me," then apologized for the interruptions.  Then, there were the others.  One couple walked up, and the lady positioned herself, with her back to my best friend (complete with a hiney in the face) and stood perfectly in between my friend and Mr. Reynolds.  As a psychology major, I found the woman's nonverbal actions to say, "I do not think you are as important as I am," and that bothers me.  The president and his wife did not do this, the Sci/Med Board members did not behave like this, and the regional sales vice presidents did not do this. 

It was brought to my attention, very vividly, that the leaders know: it is not about them.  They respect every person whom they encounter and treat them accordingly, even when it's something as small as saying, "excuse me."  It is in the consistency of the little things that big things happen.

What I can promise anyone on our team, is that they can expect the best from us.  Whether a person is a customer or a distributor obtaining pin levels, each and every person will be respected, listened to, and celebrated.  You see, I am learning that is what the real leaders do.