Lessons that I've been pondering and can finally put into words:
You can't demand respect. You have to earn it. And then you have to maintain it.
You can't treat people outside of work the same way you treat people at work. Why is there a difference? Because at work you are there to produce results along with the rest of your co-workers. Everyone is there for a specific reason and there are processes and plans for action that everyone is expected to follow with a sense of urgency that is understood. Outside of work, people are just trying to live their lives and once in a while that may include trying to accommodate your various requests. So don't have a cow when someone is less than precise when carrying out your instructions. Chill the heck out.
It's been especially difficult for me to practice the later one. I blame that on the incompetent morons that surround me in my free time. (Bugger! There I go again!)
