WHEN CULTURES CLASH

Just like the old adage “you can’t choose your family” you can’t choose your clients. Well, of course you can. But when approached by an A-Class company it’s hard not to take the job. Most often you can tell what it’s going to be like to work with them before you start, but not always. Sometimes it’s a rude awakening when you realize that your cultures are entirely different.

I really value my employees. Lots of pr-based agencies have been accused of having attitudes—many are considered outright snobs. We aren’t. Life’s too short to treat people poorly (which doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen sometimes, but it shouldn’t be a guiding principal).

So, when you have a client that has a culture that doesn’t mesh with yours what do you do? Well you have a variety of options. You can fire them. Not such a great option today. Or, you can appeal to their sense of fairness and reciprocity. I’ll treat you with respect; perhaps you can find it within yourself to treat me the same way. You can buckle down and take it, but I don’t recommend this approach because it just makes for a miserable team. I find having an honest conversation with said client can definitely help. Hey, we’re all professionals here, this isn’t personal it’s business. Try it and if it doesn’t work you always have option 1.