Calling All Dudes - And Dudettes

My, how the pendulum has swung.  Once upon a time, the notorious and dapper mafioso Frank Costello was elevated and immortalized by Damon Runyon as "Dave the Dude."  John Gotti before his time, and with a soft heart.

Then, the dude ranch was popularized as a sissified experience for wanna-be cowboys with pale skin and soft hands.  Still later, "dude" became a catch-all appellation for co-conspirators in The Slacker Nation.  Today, it seems to be used indiscriminately when addressing anyone of any or any gender.

The eight-year-old was having friends over to play a week or so ago.  Preparing one of his female confidants for an imminent arrival, he said, "This guy is a real dude, so you've got to be smooth."

Wise counsel, actually in many settings.  The kid continues to amaze me with his business insights.

In our world of ever-shifting supply chains it makes loads of sense to do a little homework before getting in front of customers, clients, suppliers, service providers and the like.  Figure out what makes them tick, what motivates them, what it takes to establish a relationship of mutual trust and respect.

Frank Costello, btw, insisted on respect, but that's another story for another day.  Our challenge is to prepare ourselves for success in business relationships by being able to separate the dudes from the sheep.