Take Two

I thought twice about that title lest people think I’ve come up with a cure for cancer or something like that.  This is more like a baby steps breakthrough on a relationship level.  Allow me to explain.

We do a fair amount of workers’ compensation case management and consulting.  It’s not our primary focus but it provides a reliable revenue stream and I’m very comfortable with this aspect of our practice since I’ve been involved in workers’ compensation for some 15 years.  Workers’ comp tends to be very contentious and confrontational just by its nature and the companies we work with are largely self-insured which can make things a little more dicey.  Because of this, the folks who work in this arena (case managers, adjusters and attorneys) tend to be cynical and jaded.  Although in my experience the percentage of fraudulent case is minimal, these tend to get the most press and contributes to the whole jaded and cynical thing.

I work with an adjuster at a TPA (third party administrator) who is old school.  Probably been in workers’ comp >15 years and leans toward the cynical side.  My discussions with her have always been cordial and professional but warm is not a word I would use to describe them.  In the past month, I’ve made an effort to improve my relationship with this client (side note- like any relationship, it’s most often about being the right person rather than finding the right person); sending more frequent updates and being more in tune to her expectations on the cases I’m working.

Today, we had an email exchange that ended with this: a smiley face emoticon.  That may seem like nothing to you but to me, it was a significant breakthrough.  I have clients who I have very warm relationships with who know my wife and kids and I know theirs but others it is very professional.  That’s not all bad but in business, you are most likely to retain your friends rather than just customers.  I read somewhere that if a man wants friends he needs to show himself friendly.  I think applies to every facet of our lives whether it’s work, church or family.

Final story- I went to the Memorial Tournament with my friend last week.  We were talking about the esteemed Brother LJ from our church.  He noted that LJ has the ability when he is talking to you to make you feel like you are the most important person in the world to him.  And if you know LJ, you know what I’m talking about.  That is a gift and it’s a large reason why our church loves him.  He is good with relationships.  Your task today, should you choose to accept it, is to get a from someone.  Good luck!