I walked into a fast food joint in Lagos, Nigeria early December last year. One of the staffers put up an attitude that was anything but customer friendly. Though her negative attitude was directed to another staff, she was rather too loud for me to be a person in charge of such service. That brings to memory a similar experience I had in Owerri, Imo State many years ago. I had questioned the steward about the authenticity of our bill when she snapped, “That’s your bill”. I did not hesitate to tell her supervisor that if he had two of such a lady in his employ, they would soon close shop. I think she would have made a better career as a security personnel than a steward at a restaurant. Generally speaking, no field of endeavours can afford lousiness, but some fields are even more sensitive in this regard.

Being old does not negate courtesy. Being a person of great means and authority does not give room for disrespect. Respect is a protocol of the kingdom; and those who want to excel in business must take this to heart.

In Abraham we come across a number of lessons about the way to conduct business; and this will be our focus today and the next couple of days. The first thing we noticed about him was his courteous approach to the other party. He was looking for a parcel of land to buy as a burial ground. When he approached the prospective sellers, he bowed before them. Sarah died at 127 years of age. So it is safe to assume that Abraham was 137 years at that time. Despite his old age, he bowed. Being old does not negate courtesy. Being a person of great means and authority does not give room for disrespect. Respect is a protocol of the kingdom; and those who want to excel in business must take this to heart.