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.
