Todd Defren wrote an excellent posting on "What I wish my new employee knew" and I couldn't have described it any better.

What resonated the most with me were these few:

I wish my new employee knew that some clients are a-holes, and some clients are incredibly appreciative, but they must all be treated equally.  That means that the level of effort can’t flag for the prickly client.  That means that you shouldn’t use your water-cooler time to gossip or kvetch about the tough cases; it’s unhelpful and nothing good comes of it.  (Along with this, it helps to know that the nice clients far outweigh the jerks, over time.  Never let the turkeys get ya down.)

I wish my new employee knew that we absolutely and gladly fire clients who are truly abusive.  We’re vigilant about this, but most new employees assume that the client is always right and stay quiet for too long.

I wish my new employee knew that the beginning part of a career is usually a slog.  It’s not all Social Media fun & games, sorry.  To be effective & accountable strategists, we need databases, research, detailed reports.  That’s how everybody starts out, even the rock stars. 

I wish my new employee knew that “eagerness is everything.”  If you’re eager; if you’re leaning forward; motivated, I’ll lie on the train tracks for you.  If you’ve got a dark cloud over your head, its shadow casts a pall over the entire office.  That includes my office.

We hire energetic, creative, dynamic young people in Waggener Edstrom.  I can't count the number of times I've spoken to my fellow practitioners about the difficulty of managing the current generation of young entrants into the business.  A common complaint I hear is the negative attitude and sense of entitlement that permeates Generation Y.  Yes, there will always be tough, demanding, unreasonable clients, but the big question our people need to ask is: Am I learning anything? If a client is tough because they demand the very best, that ups your game and you should treat it as a challenge and a learning opportunity.  Genuinely abusive clients that just make your life miserable don't stay clients very long. 

This is why, when I meet a new employee who approaches situations with a glass-half-full mentality, who leans forward and learns, who loves to ask questions and relishes challenges, who isn't afraid to work hard and understands at this stage in their careers it will be a slog, I hope I can be forgiven if I give them as many opportunities to advance as possible, and forgive them their mistakes.