I was pretty old before I understood that there are two things people want more than anything else, not counting food, shelter and, of course, sex.
They want respect and they want credit.
Read the newspaper and every once in a while you’ll see an extreme example of what happens when someone doesn’t give someone else respect: They get killed.
“He disrespected me,” the shooter tells police.
My own father would beat the poop out of anyone who disrespected him and he had a broad definition of what he considered disrespect.
So wouldn’t the opposite be true? Won’t they love you if you show respect?
The credit part I learned working at a newspaper.
You wouldn’t know it to look at them but most reporters are sensitive about their work, especially about getting credit for their work.
If someone helps you with your story, maybe they shag a quote for you, and you don’t give them a tag line giving them credit, they are going to be sore about it. Give them their due –a tag line*– and they’ll be there for you the next time.
People want respect and they want credit and if you give it to them they will make you king.
* The “byline” of the reporter[s] who does most of the reporting and writes the story goes at the top. A “tag line” goes at the bottom of a story and names reporters who “contributed” to the story.
Coming Friday: Unfortunately, My Boss Was Older And Smarter