It can happen to the best of us. Despite careful planning, there is a last minute phone call, one last email that must be sent, unexpected traffic ... you are late for a meeting. So how do you handle it?

To begin with, keep in mind that no one is interested in excuses, not even your mother. Keep them to yourself.

If you are meeting with one other person, offer a sincere apology and move on with the purpose of your meeting.

Rude behavior. Unfortunately, we don't have to look far to find it. It can be the person who insists on holding those around him hostage to his cell phone conversation, the individual who texts through-out a class or meeting, or that lovely specimen who takes out her unrelated-to-the-situation frustration on the clerk behind the counter.

Responding in kind is exactly how you don't want to handle the situation. When someone does something that stands out for its inappropriateness, let it stand alone. Let the culprit muddle through in all his glory. Often times, when you attempt to retaliate or "teach the person a lesson" your behavior ends up drawing more attention and negative reaction than the original rudeness.

Usually one form of rude behavior is more than enough for any situation.

Remember ... Taking the high road is not always our immediate reaction to rudeness but in the long run, it is the best response. As mom always said "two wrongs don't make a right" ... especially when it comes to presenting yourself in a professional manner.

There are two words I use a lot:  courtesy and respect.

I believe the interactions we have with others, whether they are a brief, one-time exchange or continuous, long-term relationships, are greatly impacted by the manner in which we treat others. There is no financial cost to using these forms of conduct but they have a powerful effect, not only in how you make others feel but in how you are perceived.

There is another word that I believe very strongly in, and that is dignity.

Dignity is the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect. To me, it also reflects composure and poise. I think of dignity in terms of oneself more than other people, as in, always maintain your dignity. Dignity goes hand in hand with presenting a polished presence. We can find ourselves in all sorts of awkward or uncomfortable situations; how we react to them is what is going to be noticed -- and judged -- by those around us.

Remember ... The only person you have control over is yourself. Sometimes not saying anything, smiling politely, or excusing yourself from the situation is the best remedy. No matter how much you may wish to indulge yourself by firing off that comment, stepping in where you shouldn't or simply not letting go when it is past time to do so, remembering my three words will do you much better.

Courtesy          Respect          Dignity

Referrals can be the life blood of business, now more than ever. Employers are relying on personal recommendations to fill job vacancies and research is showing that consumer recommendation is the most trusted form of advertising.

In other words, your referral or recommendation can be gold to another person. It can also be a way to shoot yourself in the foot.

Everyone has their own phone, correct? So therefore it would make sense that every time you call someone, you are immediately connected to the person with whom you wish to speak, yes?

No.  Not by a long shot.

I have watched, overheard, and yes, done it myself, automatically assuming that the person who answers the telephone is either the person I want to speak with or the person who can help me.

An example for you:  Our home telephone rings and my daughter answers with a friendly "hello" and then says nothing more. I watch as her expression goes from quizzical to "deer in the headlights" look. She simply hands me the telephone and I hear a very chipper voice on the other end of the line, rattling on with very detailed instructions regarding my youngest son's dental surgery scheduled for the following morning. If the woman from the oral surgeon's office had taken a moment to ask to speak to me specifically, she wouldn't have had to repeat all of that information twice.

Yes, we are all in a hurry, but asking to speak to someone is a part of telephone etiquette. Possibly having to leave a message because that person is not available is again, telephone etiquette. To immediately begin speaking to someone who has no idea what you are talking about because you didn't take the time to ask the question is poor telephone etiquette.

It all speaks to your professionalism.

Remember ... The basis for professional etiquette stands, in part, for displaying courteous behaviors during business interactions. Your comfort with, knowledge and use of business etiquette can have a long lasting and far reaching impact on your personal and professional life.

Networking … it’s something we all do. We attend early morning meetings, break away in the middle of the day for lunch hour events, and sometimes get home late in the evening because of business social obligations. You are working to make others aware of you, to promote your business and obtain referrals, while at the same time, meet new people, learn about the services they have to offer and how you can be of help to them. It can be a full time job in and of itself. 

One of the things you do to help promote yourself is join networking groups, most of which offer a website wherein you are able to create a profile that provides visitors with information about you and your business. In essence, your profile helps you to sell yourself when you aren’t around. 

I love iced tea; it is one of my favorite drinks in the summer time. I know which of the fast food restaurants carry the good stuff and which don't, and by "good" stuff, I am referring to that which is freshly brewed versus the artificial, premixed liquid that comes out of a dispenser, like the carbonated drinks.

When I am out and about during the day, I often pop into a fast food drive-thru for some iced tea, and even though the chain of restaurants (or even that particular restaurant) has had the good stuff in the past, I always ask if they have "real iced tea" when I order, just in case something has changed. Over the years, I have been met with a variety of responses, everything from a "huh?" to an incoherent mumble and an outright lie.

Today, I received the best response to my inquiry: "Absolutely!" Not only did the young woman on the other end of the speaker understand what I was asking but she replied with such a smile and enthusiasm in her voice that it brought an answering smile to my face.

We shared a brief conversation as I paid for my "good" iced tea and as I drove off, I thought about what a simple thing it is to answer a question for someone ... but also what a difference the manner in which you respond makes. Sometimes it can have even more of an impact than the answer itself.

Remember, when interacting with others, so much of what we are feeling comes through our body language, facial expression, intonation and the words we choose. When you help someone with a question, are you really stopping to hear what they are saying and responding accordingly or are you just giving an answer to be done with it?

How do you feel when you have been of help to someone ... and how might that person feel as they walk away from you?