Treat your Customers and Staff how you wish to be treated.

I led a team morning recently and I have been thinking about a few things that came out of that: feeling valued, positivity, staying in your lane, doing whats in your circle of control, supporting others - staff and customers.

One thing has stuck with me - feeling valued. I’ve always believed that how you treat people says a lot about you, both as a person and as a business.

It really isn’t rocket science. Treat people with respect, be fair, kind and have a bit of understanding, and to feel valued. Treat them as you would wish to be treated. Yet, for something so simple, it’s amazing how often it gets forgotten when dealing with customers.

Whether it’s a customer walking through the door or a member of staff coming in to do their job, everyone deserves to be treated properly. Nobody should have to put up with being spoken down to or emailed rudely, made to feel unimportant or treated as though they don’t matter. I am not saying we are all perfect and can do this every day, but you can always learn from your mistakes.

If you wouldn’t like someone treating you that way, why would you think it’s acceptable to treat someone else like that?

You can’t expect staff to give their best if they don’t feel valued or respected. People spend a huge part of their lives at work, and the way they’re treated by the people around them makes a difference.

Sometimes it’s the little things that matter most. Saying thank you, recognising when someone has gone the extra mile, listening when they have a concern or simply asking how they are doing after a traumatic time at home or just because.

Being in charge doesn’t give anyone the right to make others feel small. You can be firm, set standards and deal with problems without being rude or disrespectful. There’s a difference between lighting fires in people and under people.

And as I said above, let’s be really honest, nobody gets everything right all the time. We all have bad days, we all make mistakes and we all need a bit of understanding now and again. It's that trauma-informed approach and recognising we are all different.

A good working environment doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from how people treat each other every single day. This is called culture!

The same goes for customers - every customer deserves courtesy, whether they spend £5 or £5,000. They might have a question, a complaint or a problem that needs sorting out. That doesn’t mean they should be made to feel like a nuisance for asking.

Of course, customers aren’t always right, and sometimes you have to have difficult conversations. But there is always a way to handle things professionally without being dismissive or making someone feel stupid.

If something has gone wrong, own it. If you can put it right, do your best to do so. And if you can’t give someone what they want, explain why and treat them with professionalism and respect. Its about listening and speaking calmly. There is no need for you or the other person to be unkind, use unprofessional language and act like a child in a playground. We are all adults!

And it’s not about keeping everyone happy all the time. That’s not realistic. It’s about making sure people are treated fairly, even when things don’t go to plan.

People remember for life how you make them feel. They remember when someone takes the time to help them, but they also remember when they’ve been made to feel unwelcome. And they talk about those experiences, too.

Something I think businesses sometimes get wrong is expecting staff to be friendly, welcoming and helpful to every customer, while failing to show those same qualities towards their own employees. You can’t expect what you’re not prepared to give.

You can’t tell people to be respectful and then behave disrespectfully yourself. You can’t expect loyalty when people feel undervalued, or commitment when their efforts are constantly overlooked. It has to work both ways.

The way a business treats its staff and the way its staff treat customers should come from the same place: basic respect for other people. Manners in my world!

People notice what you do far more than what you say.

We all have pressures in life. We have days when we're tired, stressed, frustrated or simply not feeling ourselves. That’s part of being human but it costs nothing to be decent.

But whatever is going on, we should try not to take it out on the people around us. You have to adjust your attitude and forget whats going on at home at work as the customer will not know and they have stuff they are trying to sort which could be traumatic too. A bit of patience, a kind word or a genuine thank you costs nothing.

So does admitting when you’ve got something wrong. Be accountable!

None of us is perfect, and nobody expects us to be. But we should all be willing to treat people a little better, listen a little more and think before we speak.

For me, it comes down to one simple thing: Would you be happy for someone to treat you the way you treat your customers and staff?

If the answer is no, then perhaps it’s time to think about doing things differently.

Running a business and working with colleagues is about dealing with people. Staff, customers, suppliers — they’re all people who deserve honesty, fairness and respect.

You don’t have to be everyone's best friend. You don't have to agree with everyone. And you certainly don't have to get everything right.

But you should treat people how you would want to be treated yourself.

It really is that simple.