Working on Being Nonjudgmental in Business

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

18 Jul 2008 10:43 PM

Have you ever tried to go an entire day without passing judgment? It is nearly impossible! Unless, of course, you are the Dali Lama or some sort of saint. As we operate our home businesses, however, it can be incredibly challenging not to pass judgment on customers, clients, prospects, vendors and even our competitors. Our first instinct may be to call them stupid or make generalizations about their "type." Unfortunately, this judgmentalism can come back to haunt us and keep us from giving good service, making strong contacts and encouraging loyal customers. Not to mention, it can affect how we feel about ourselves too.

Instead of passing judgment, try to see things from your customer or client's point of view. If that is impossible, it can be worthwhile to simply remind yourself that there are different ways of doing things and that we all have good and bad days. I have learned that what seems stupid to me in the moment might make perfectly good sense to another person who is looking at things from a very different perspective. This does not mean that I do not still get annoyed or frustrated, but if we take a step back, we can refrain from letting judgment rule the day.

The reason that being too judgmental can be a problem in business is that it may cause us to react in an unprofessional manner, or to label a customer or client or vendor and that could keep us from seeing them for who they really are or from providing good customer service. If we have already decided someone is a dummy, it is hard to go into a meeting or an interaction with an open mind, ready to listen and come to a mutually-advantageous agreement. Being judgmental makes us closed off and uptight, not open and helpful.

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