Treat Everyone Like Tom Brady

For those of you who don't know who Tom Brady is, he is an NFL quarterback who has won 7 super bowls. Tom Brady has a net worth of $270 million, 10.2 million followers on Instagram, and 2.1 million followers on Twitter. As you can see, he is a very well-to-do and influential man. Even people who have never watched football know who he is. That is why he is a perfect example of what I want to talk about.

Given the information I gave you above, especially if you are a sports fan, you would probably be excited to have a 1 on 1 meeting with him. You would probably be so excited that for a week straight you would lose sleep trying to figure out what to say, what to wear, and how to act. I would also bet that you would show up early for your meeting with him because you wouldn't want to make him wait. Now I am not saying all of you would be this way, but the majority of you would. But why is that? I would dare to say it's because of his status. A meeting with Tom Brady could potentially open so many doors for you given the connections and influence he has. And hey, who doesn't want to meet a celebrity?

But let me ask you this, do you treat all of your meetings/ the people you meet with, with the same respect that you would give Tom Brady? If your answer is “No” then welcome to the club. I am guilty of this and so are many of you. That does not make it okay though. It is not okay that we show up on time and prepare for the “important person” who has something to offer us, but we don’t do the same for someone who is maybe not so “important” in the sense of their status and connections. We need to treat everybody the same way we would treat Tom Brady or someone else of influence and power.

I write this because I have been on the receiving end of people missing meetings, showing up late, or not taking their time with me very seriously. I have been let down, strung along, and all together brushed off. And I know if I held a more important title or had some value to offer them, these things would have never happened. We have all experienced this and done this to others at some point in our lives and careers. But I want us to realize that everyone matters and everyone has something to offer even if their status seems to say otherwise. Don’t wait to believe in someone when they make it, believe in someone before they make it. Treat everyone like Tom Brady.