🔥 How Prison Food Taught Me the Key to Business Success

As a 21-year-old Marine, I was invited to attend a special vetting course for a government paramilitary organization. For 4 weeks, we learned advanced driving skills with legit NASCAR drivers, practiced towing Jeeps out of Louisiana swamps, and shot thousands of rounds.

My classmates were a mix of seasoned SEALs, Green Berets, Marines, Rangers, Air Force PJs, and SWAT cops. They told stories about their time operating in every conflict from Mogadishu and Panama to Rwanda and the Waco siege.

It was truly an honor to be the youngest person in that class.

There was just one problem, though: Our meals were made by prisoners.

Our training facility had a cafeteria run by the inmates next door. The idea that we - a bunch of cop types - would eat food prepared by convicts shocked me. Didn't these people hate us? Weren't we the ones that put people like them behind bars? Needless to say, we were extra polite as they served our food.

I was half-determined to live off of Clif bars for the entire month when one of the inmates came right up to me.

"Hey, sir." He said. "I just want to say that you guys treating us with so much respect means a lot to us. Respect is the only thing that matters in prison, and we really appreciate it. Thank you so much."

Instantly, I could tell that this felon had my back. It didn't matter that we were on different sides of the fence because respect was all that really mattered. That respect was priceless, and it quickly turned into trust.

Now, many years later, I use respect to lay the foundation for trust in all of my business relationships. Money is powerful, but social status speaks to the core of our human nature.

Usually, I show someone respect and they reciprocate, but there's a flip side, too: If I show you respect and you don't reciprocate, then we are never going to work together. Period.

I can also spot someone hungry for a little respect from a mile away. If you give them the respect they deserve, then you will earn a true friend and ally.

Recap

1. Show people respect.

2. Pay attention to how they respond.

3. Create trust to build highly effective partnerships and teams.

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