I refused to shake hands.

We'd just finished a big piece of work with a prestigious client.

It had gone well and the senior client sponsor had come over to say goodbye and thank us for our work.

I'd led the project, but I couldn't bring myself to shake her hand. Instead, I skulked around at the back of the group with my head down and briefly nodded acknowledgement.

It was incredibly childish.

But she'd been a nightmare.

Super smart. Ex McKinsey & Harvard. But a nightmare.

She treated her own team like dirt. Shouted at them and called them idiots. 

Consultants were just hired help who were expected to jump when she wanted, any time of day or night.

And she'd change presentations we prepared, mess them up, then blame us for the changes she'd made.

The project ended fine, of course. You do what you need to do to deliver a great result. But we were all drained at the end.

And on my last day before flying back to the UK I thought “you know what, I just can't shake her hand”.

I think she knew because she didn't push the issue.

When you run your own business or you're part of a smaller firm, one of the huge advantages you have is you don't have to take on clients like this.

In the long run, it's never worth it. Your energy and your sanity are worth much more than the fees.

And if you're doing your marketing right, there'll be another, better, client coming along soon.