The Ten Commandments of Business Etiquette

   

It has occurred to me on more than one occasion that I am easily irritated.  In this crazy-busy, fast-paced, multi-tasking world we live in today--well there are numerous opportunities to irritate and offend.  Take any given day that I am working at Starbucks and  I can almost guarantee you that someone is going to make me pause and ask myself “what is this world coming to?”  If it’s not the grown man talking on skype to his wife for everyone and their dog to hear, then it’s the woman who thinks that Starbucks is the place to reveal her innermost secrets and personal information to a complete stranger.  And all things in between.  My latest and greatest example of ridiculously bad manners?  A woman clipping her fingernails at a Starbucks and letting the clippings fall to the ground.  I nearly threw up in my coffee.  

So yes, I am complaining. And yes I may sound negative.  But my following list of the Ten Commandments for Business Etiquette were written to make the world a better place.  I promise.  They are kind of specific because they are things I see out and about and well, it needs to be said.

1. When the airplane lands, unless you are waiting for an organ donor, you can wait till you deplane to call someone.  “Hello Bob are you there? Can you hear me?” (says the woman at the top of her lungs) “Yeah we just landed and I am on the plane waiting to get off.”  Stop doing this people!
2. Starbucks is a working place for a lot of people, including myself.  It is 100% inappropriate to listen to a you tube video (or anything else for that matter) without head phones.  Period.  No you are not being discreet.  Yes we can all hear it.  Here’s the 4.1.1: this is rude.  Stop doing it.  
3. If you are a V.I.P that does not mean the rules are different for you.  If the meeting starts at 9:00am then you should be there at 9:00am just like everyone else.  Do you not get the message this sends everyone else when you can’t be bothered to show up on time? It’s not positive I promise.  People are not admiring you from afar thinking “not that’s a really important guy right there.”
4. Furthermore VIP’s: when you are in a meeting give your fullest attention to what is going on.  When the VIP is in the room and completely captivated by their cell phone the message is clear: this meeting is not important. 
5. Let’s roll with the meeting theme: If you scheduled a 30 minute meeting then be prepared to finish in 30 minutes.  Don’t take longer than you planned under any circumstances.  It is rude.  I am of the opinion that about 50% of meetings are 100% unnecessary and an email could accomplish the task at hand.  Don’t use meetings to hold people captive or assert your own inflated sense of importance.
6. Just because you think it is funny does not mean I will.  Look--if your joke, story, whateve,r even has a whiff of racism, sexism or any kind of ism that could potentially offend--save it for your buddies over a beer at the bar.  I don’t want to hear it.  “Avoid her she has P.M.S” is not funny to me.  And don’t throw that whole “oh you are so politically correct.  Lighten up.”  Being respectful of others is not a PC issue.  It is a.....respect issue.  
7. At networking or other types of events--please don’t dominate one person’s time.  Especially if there are other people waiting to speak to that person.  The nature of my job means that after a “gig” people want to come up and speak to me.  That’s great.  I love it.  I want to talk to you.  But other people want to come up and talk too.  Be respectful of their time and give everyone a chance.
8. And while I am at it....please don’t come up and CRITICIZE me.  There is always that person who wants to prove to me that they know more about my topic than I do.  I am not sure what they think they will get out of this kind of exchange but it is bad manners. Don’t do it.
9. Let’s connect....but not with a FB friend request.  When you meet someone at a professional event send them a Linked In invitation to stay connected.  Don’t send them a FB friend request.  You may have hit it off with them but don’t mistake that to mean that they want to be your friend on FB. It’s just weird.  
10. Last but certainly not least....it’s YOUR most important commandment. What would you add to finish out the list?  I want to know your biggest business etiquette pet peeve written as a dictate, a rule, a commandment.  The world would be a better place if ____________________________.  

Share it in the comments below.  

Have a great week and thanks for letting me get that off my chest! Whew.