The boss had called the receptionist into his office for one of those chats we all dread. He was displeased with her demeanor in the office. For the most part, she was efficient, did her work on time, and seldom put through a call incorrectly. But her attitude needed an adjustment, he said. He didn't like the way he heard her talking to some of their clients.

"Well," she replied, "I really don't have a bad attitude. I treat people pretty much the way they treat me. If they're pleasant, and easy to get along with, and polite, then I'm the same way to them. But we have some clients who are rude, abrupt and demanding, and I have no intention of changing the way I act toward them. If they want to be treated better, they'd better clean up their act."

The boss was floored. "But that's not the way …