This week I am
attending the RES Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. This conference brings
together Native American Tribal leaders, Native American business leaders, and
leaders in the public and private sector. To get in the spirit of the
conference I am reading the book, Working in Indian Country by Larry Keown. Mr.
Keown is not a member of Native tribe, so he is recounting the lessons he
learned often from some very common mistakes made by non-Natives looking to
conduct business with Natives. If I
were to boil down the key to being successful in Native country to one word,
the word would be - Respect.
As I thought about
this, I realized that respect is something that all business relationships
should be built on regardless of whether it is a situation involving people of
different cultures, races, genders or people with similar backgrounds and
beliefs. Respect should be the basis of a relationship, particularly when
power, either economic or political, is not equal between the parties. For the
more powerful to respect the less powerful requires humility, which has the
same root word found in human and humane. It has always been my experience that
showing respect is almost always reciprocated regardless of whom has the most
power.
Respect in the
fullness of the word and the practice is also unrelated to moral judgments of
right or wrong. Wars are fought because of the lack of respect. Young Black and
Hispanic men lose their lives because of the lack of mutual respect between
them and "authority". Some business is never consummated because of
the lack of respect. And love is lost for the lack of respect - just ask Aretha
Franklin - "all I want is a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T."
I hope to be
successful at this conference in building more and deeper relationships with my
Native brothers and sisters. In truth I can personally claim to be Choctaw
given my maternal great grandmother was "full-blooded" Choctaw. But
while my personal heritage can help in building those relationships this week,
nothing can overcome the failure to show respect.
