The $5,000,000 Lesson

Have you ever experienced the difference between being asked to do something and being told to do the same thing?

A co-worker recently asked me to complete a task and then followed up to make sure I had completed the whole process. As we concluded our conversation, it occurred to me how engaging and provoking his request was versus the "it's not what you expect, but what you inspect that gets done" model. His approach was very inviting. I appreciated this so much I decided to let him know. That's when I learned my latest "Collision" lesson.

This co-worker had a life-changing experience a few years back when he served time in prison. Without all of the gory details, the point he made was simple.  He said to me, "Dwayne, it cost me $5,000,000 to learn how to work with people correctly. The other way is what caused me to end up in a cell and I lost every asset I had. That's a lesson I need not learn twice."

How do you deal with people? Do you attract people or do they head the other way?