For many of my friends and co-workers, the coffee bean is as essential as lavender oil to a stress-relief yoga-therapy session. Until that dehydrated bean juice crosses your lips, there is no starting the day. But why is it that some of us prefer extra cream while others need 10 packets of Splenda?

Want to know my hypothesis? Of course you do.

“You like what you like. I like what I like. And Bob likes what he likes.”

It comes down to one of the most basic elements: The human brain. You like what you like. I like what I like. And Bob likes what he likes. Maybe you are on a diet, so you think having 10 packets of Splenda is better for the caloric intake than 10 sugars. Or maybe you are lactose intolerant, so you need to choose the soy-based creamer. Or perhaps you had a cat once who used to knock down your sugar dish every time you went to bed, so you had to learn to love coffee without sugar.

Dealing with Different People

When it comes to dealing with people, whether they be clients, significant others, co-workers or friends, we should keep in mind that other people have different experiences in life and, therefore, different needs and expectations. Before you cram your needs and expectations down other people’s throats, maybe you should try to understand their perspectives.

We all have quirks

We all have that one client that makes us roll our eyes each time they forget our weekly meetings or ask for “one more thing”. As account managers, we have to keep in mind that each correspondence and conversation can be received by our clients much differently from the ways we may have intended. So let’s give that one client a break. Maybe he likes his coffee two hours old, cold, with skim milk. That’s okay — just brew the pot a little earlier the next time he visits.