Smile! You're On Candid Camera.

It is easy to be on our best behavior when we know everyone is watching, but what about when the cameras are turned off?  I must admit there have been times I’ve given dirty looks to those people who cut me off, steal a parking spot, or do something incredibly abhorrent, but I like to think I have integrity and am on my best behavior naturally. And if the cameras were secretly rolling, I would have nothing to be ashamed about from my behavior.

Recently I attended a trunk show with several friends at a major hotel where I was staying, featuring some beautiful jewelry. (a weakness of mine)  I fell in love with a piece that I definitely wanted to put on my birthday wish list and I was excited to meet the designer in person and hear about the inspiration behind the piece, how she started her company, and find out more about her.  Because in the end, we want to buy from people we think we know, like and trust.  After I talked to her, I was even more attracted to the piece and seriously contemplated the purchase.  My friends told me to think about it overnight, and make a decision the next day.

Skip ahead to dinner at the restaurant in the hotel, and who should we run into at the bar, behaving badly toward our party and not even remembering who we were, but the jewelry designer herself.  That night she showed her worst self and it made me realize that I didn’t want to do business with her, no matter how intrigued I was with the piece I coveted. As a business owner, and even as an individual, we always need to be our best self.  We need to know that we are always on, and our self worth as well as our business depends on it.