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October, 2002

In this issue of iDealReview, we deal with business etiquette.  As etiquette changes over time, this issue will be updated to reflect the editors latest thoughts and pet peeves.  To be notified each time a revised edition of this issue is published (not more than quarterly), just send an email to etiquette@idealreview.com. 

People | Actions | Communicating | General

People

With Your Boss(es)

• Everyone is accountable to someone - period
• During the 1990’s, deference to the boss went out of style; it is back in the 2000’s
• Never surprise your boss
• Never tell your bosses boss something your boss does not yet know
• Assume your boss will learn of any thing you say about them
• Never demonize your boss to your family
• Lead your boss, anticipate their needs and deliver ahead of the curve
• Don’t assume that your boss makes a lot more money than you do
• Learn your bosses communication style on the first day, and use that knowledge
• Read the business books your boss is reading, this helps you anticipate the next fad
• If your boss is former military, you may need to learn new definitions for terms “workday”, “loyalty”, “integrity” - your boss won’t be able to explain these, they are ingrained

With Your Peers

• Treat your peers as if they will be your boss someday, they might
• Earn the respect of your peers, because you may be their boss someday
• Find ways to give credit for your peer’s ideas
• Beware of using vocabulary & methods that your peers do not understand
• Link your unique skills with someone else’s
  • If you are the number-cruncher, pair up with the spin-doctor
  • If you have a driving "get-things-done" style, pair up with someone people like...
• Always be too willing to pick up slack for your peers, but only if you can do so without being a martyr

With Outside Teams & Projects

• Respect the team lead position, even if they can’t fire you
• Work on special projects that clearly benefit your boss & peers, then projects that benefit you
• Even if you crave personal recognition, find ways to get the team credit before you
• Watch out for outside teams or projects that are forever, a good multi-functional team should be able to complete work and disband within 90 days after formation
• That said, get involved with one outside team or project every quarter, but be prepared to abandon ship if the team becomes self-perpetuating

With Support People

• Treat support people (receptionists, mail delivery, clerical staff) with absolute courtesy
• Never take support for granted, learn how to be self-sufficient
• Thank the person who empties your trash cans and checks you out in the company cafeteria

Actions

Taking the Initiative

• The higher you go in a company, the more initiative you are expected to show
• Let others know what you are doing, get buy-in, but do not wait for their approval
• Get in trouble for using judgment and doing something, never for sitting still
• “They did not tell me” is statement that makes the speaker look like a clerk
• “They did not invite me” is no excuse for failing to show up
• “They keep me out of the loop” is more a reflection on the speaker than on those in the loop
• Always have something useful to contribute: an idea, a fact, a humorous view, praise, or hard work

Be A Real Person Away from Work

• Have a family, hobby, life, pet - something besides your job

Communicating

E-Mail

• Write as if everyone in the company will see it
• Never broadcast bad news, send it only to the people who can fix it
• Never use time/date stamps to prove a point, it makes you look petty
• If an email is more than 10 days old, start a new chain
• Email chains more than 5 long, or 10 days old, make you and the organization look bureaucratic
• Never selectively edit an email chain, either present all of the past emails, or none of them
• Present facts as facts, opinion as opinion
• Always double-check your numbers & spelling
• Resolve disagreements in person, never by email
• Never write or send email when you are in a heightened emotional state
• Write angry documents by hand, never on the PC

Red-Line

• There are tools available to track changes in a document, learn to use them
• Never assume someone will recognize a changed document
• Over-explain changes, never under-explain
• Always send both copies, a full red-line AND a copy with all of your changes accepted

Meetings

• When You Are the Host
• Understand how to book your own room, do not rely on a secretary
• Match the room to the meeting, neither too big or too small
• Match the location to walking-distance for the majority of the audience
• If the meeting is longer than 4 hours, find a way to provide refreshments
• Be early
• Be organized
• Lead the meeting, don’t expect it to run itself
• Know how to set up and use the projectors, or bring someone who does
• Never miss a meeting you call except in the direst emergency, and then appoint a trustworthy replacement
• Only invite people who really need to attend
• Be welcoming to "party-crashers" you didn't invite
• When You Are Presenting
• Be early
• Never go beyond your appointed speaking time without an explicit invitation from the group
• Budget 25% of your time for questions, but have filler if there are no questions
• Handouts belong at the end of the talk, never the beginning
• Remember to thank the host of the meeting
• If you are to present at a regular meeting (staff, monthly all-hands, etc), make sure you’ve either attended that meeting before or talk to people who have - know the audience and what type of presentations go over well
• If you have poor presentation skills, take a class - the ability to present is essential to get promoted
• When You Attend
• Be on time
• Be fully present
• Never bring an entourage
• Do not ask rhetorical questions, save those for email
• Do not use notebook or palmtop devices while someone is speaking
• Turn cellphones or pagers to their least obtrusive settings before the meeting starts
• If you agreed to attend, only cancel on the day of the meeting in a real emergency

General

Money

• If you are at a senior level in the company, expect & budget to buy things (meals, flowers, etc) out of your own pocket
• Expect to use your personal cell-phone and internet connection for business purposes, do not expect reimbursement or gratitude
• Always over-contribute to gift funds
• Never hesitate to send your own sympathy card
• Never tell anyone what grade you are and what you earn
• Never ask anyone what grade they are and what they earn
• Never borrow more than $10 at the office and always pay back early the next day
• Never borrow money from subordinates or support people
• Understand the company’s ethics policy on gifts, within that policy:
• Give the boss something meaningful, never something expensive
• Give gift certificates with a sincere card before meaningless expensive gifts
• Never give a Customer a gift that does not carry your company’s logo

...to be continued

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