We recently had an experience with a school of traditional Irish dance in the Ottawa area. The owner/teacher has a particular style that upset our daughters and other students in the class — a class made up of children ranging in age from five to twelve, and ranging in skill from rank beginners to competition winners. Despite the obvious warning signs, we went ahead with the class. When we went to bat for a young student in the class who was distraught about having to attend the class, the owner/teacher did not appreciate our concern.

We finally had enough and acted on our daughters’ wishes to withdraw them from the class. The owner/teacher stayed true to her style of deflecting our concerns, accusing us for her problems and attempting to prove how wrong we were. In addition to sharing her charming personality, she also refused any form of refund.

While some businesses and people cling to the idea, intimidation is a style that no longer works. Good relations and repeat business come from treating others (children and adults alike) with respect. If you berate people and have a “take the money and run” approach, your relationships and business opportunities will dry up and disappear.

(Sorry for the bad 80’s rock reference)