A while back, I visited Northern Europe with three of my kids. While there, we caught one of those hop-on, hop-off buses – a great way to get acquainted with an unfamiliar city. However, when crossing the border from one country to another, we did notice something. People seemed to have a very different attitude, not nearly as warm and friendly in this other country.

Come to find out, we just happened to be dealing with people working jobs that did not require higher-level skills. They certainly did NOT have well-developed people skills. I’ve learned over the years, people like that tend to stay in a job like that, never moving up. Why? Because rude people people, with poor people skills, will ALWAYS stay at the bottom.

We’ve all encountered rude bus drivers, rude food service people, rude customer service reps, rude hotel personnel. But what I’ve noticed – as I have gone from being a broke, homeless cocktail waitress, to a multimillionaire with over two decades of business experience – is you get what you pay for.

What’s so funny, most people who are in lower-paying positions tend to have poorer attitudes. (Notice I said MOST… not all!) Many don’t smile, and they don’t really want to be doing that job in the first place. They often encounter rude customers. And guess why… because THEY are rude to their customers!

Listen, 93% of all communication is nonverbal. So when a customer gets on your bus and your face looks like you just sucked on a lemon, they sure don’t feel welcome on your bus. They see your face – your nonverbal “language” – and think, “Oh great, ANOTHER rude bus driver.”

The reality is, it’s not that difficult to move up into higher-paying positions. Simply provide good service to everyone you encounter. Nobody likes bad service and nobody likes rude people. Rude people prompt rudeness from other people.

I’d be willing to bet, most of the rude service you encounter is from workers in lower-paying jobs. If you walk into a fast food restaurant, you’re much more likely to receive poor service from rude people. However, if you were to walk into Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, you’d be treated like royalty! If you take a ferry across a small body of water, you’ll meet people who have poor people skills. But on a luxury cruise ship, you encounter people who smile, remember your name and have excellent communication skills. You will be treated with honor and respect, as the treasured guest you are!

So, take a look at your pay grade. If you want to move up, then don’t act like the others in that same pay grade. Step-up your game and work as if you were employed in a luxury hotel or a 5-star restaurant. When you do that, your clients begin to view the brand you represent differently. I promise, if you start at the bottom at McDonalds and work as if you were serving Ruth’s Chris customers, you won’t stay at the bottom for long!

This also applies at home! How do you represent yourself in your home, with your family? Do you take care of it as if it were a luxury home or treat it like a run-down dump? How you treat it, determines how you feel about it, and how you feel about it determines whether or not you get promoted!

So as you go to work today, whether at your job, in your business or in your home, choose to treat your environment – and the people around you – with absolute honor and respect. Provide the best service and use those high-level people skills with everyone you encounter, and you will be promoted over and over again… in work and in life.

Take a moment right now to spread this message to your friends, family and coworkers. If you own a business or manage a team of people, you definitely want to print it out and hand it to your employees and team members today. You can also share it on Facebook and Twitter! Then, please tell me about your personal experiences with this type of employee in the comments below.

And don’t forget to join me for The Dani Johnson Show today, when we share even more of my personally-selected tips and strategies to help you build a strong foundation for your success! You can find the show on your TV and radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right here on our website.

In great faith,

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