It’s been 20 years since Clark Griswold uttered those famous words; actually, he did it laced with expletives and at the top of his lungs – but for our purposes – the summary will suffice. While much has changed since 1989, the concept still rings true today. The holiday season is one that is full of merriment and joy, but it can also lend itself to stress.

With the end of the year upon us, we all feel the stress related to completing year end projects and planning for a better and brighter future. That stress can sometimes cause us to overreact and act disrespectfully to one another despite our better judgment. Although this is a perfectly natural human reaction to these types of situations, it is not one that results in productiveness or resolution.

In both personal and business relationships, we have a responsibility to treat one another with respect. In the business world, companies have begun to memorialize this concept in the form of a “pact” or agreement between themselves and the customer (as an example, see online retailer Zappos’ Core Value #1, Jet Blue’s Customer Bill of Rights, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s unique Enterprise Service Quality Index (ESQi) . The concept makes businesses accountable for the quality of their customer service and helps to cultivate a team approach to problem solving rather than finger pointing and yelling. It is a call for change from the way that businesses and clients have traditionally interacted,  and in the end lends itself to mutual long term success.

We all want to succeed. We all want our co-workers, clients and business contacts to succeed. We all also want to enjoy the holiday season in the company of good friends and family. Trust me, you will finish your projects and plans and everything will turn out great.  If we work together, not only will 2009 end with a bang, but the sky will be the limit for 2010.