Inside The Edge
About
My
Four Cents
Jamie O’Neill’s “My Four Cents” articles offer a great change of pace from the typical literature you may find on a management consultant or leadership development web site. Most of the time, self-improvement is about assessing and amending your personal skills; however, every once in a while it is necessary to take a step back from it all and consider broader topics like your personal values and goals. “My Four Cents” forces you to do exactly that.
With her down-to-earth and practical perspectives, Jamie offers a view of the world that everyone can derive some value from. The articles in this section allow you to remove yourself from day to day trails and focus on what you consider to be truly important in your life. So take the time to read a few; we think they will really help… but hey, that’s just our four cents.
| The Lost Art of Manners |
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Having good manners today has become a lost art. While it is true that most people learn good manners as children, it is also true that as we get older, the less often people are willing to hold us accountable to these manners. When is the last time you held open a door for someone and they didn’t say thanks? Did you turn around and say “Excuse me Sir, I think you’re forgetting to say thank you!” Of course not, we mumble under our breath “what a jerk” and vow never to hold open that door again for that person. The fact is, good manners are essential in social situations, professional settings, and anytime you interact with other people, so it is time we all mannered up. I grew up in a family where manners were shoved down my throat, and rightfully so. But it wasn’t until I was older and working when I came to the realization that most people’s manners, well, they just plain suck. When I was working for my former employer, each Christmas the boss handed out Christmas bonuses. Everyone knew these bonuses were a form of profit sharing, but they were bonuses none the less. I remember one year after the checks were handed out, that night before leaving, I dropped into my boss’ office and thanked him personally for the bonus/gift. A week later my boss e-mailed me to tell me that out of everyone in the company, I was the only person to personally thank him. If anything, all he heard was people talking about how disappointed they were with their bonus, but not a lot of thank yous'. While it is true that there is no formal system for punishing transgressions, manners (as Wikipedia states) are the unenforced standards of conduct that define our character and should therefore be taken more seriously, but unfortunately they are not. The Associated Press-Ipsos conducted a survey on public attitudes about manners and found that compared to 20 or 30 years ago, 69% of the people surveyed felt that people were more rude (less mannerly) today. It blows my mind that people can be so rude these days. From road rage in the morning, to checking your blackberry while having a conversation with someone else, and posting rude comments on people’s blogs, we are all entering a new era of not holding each other accountable for our manners and actions. For a country that is known as being “too nice”, we are sliding down a slippery slope of rudeness. Business manners are the same. There is actually a company in the United States that goes around the country giving seminars to the New Generational workforce on the basic premise of manners. Are manners not just something we should all just know? Apparently not! Since it is the New Year, let us all make a personal commitment to Mind our Ps and Qs and be more openly aware of our actions and focus on being the person our parents taught us to be. Here are a couple ideas:
Every morning when you wake up, get showered and dressed for the day, don’t leave and forget your manners at the door. Manners are an important part of our make-up and is something we should all take very seriously. So pay attention to your actions, remember to say please and thank you and be conscious of how your actions affect those around you. Good manners are contagious - but that’s just my 4 cents!
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Jamie, your article was excellent except for one exception...at the end you assume that we all shower before coming to work.
Just kidding. Great article. I try my best to be mannerly and treat everyone I encounter with the same respect I'd afford my biggest inspiration. It is hard sometimes and, particularly where tardiness and my BlackBerry are concerned, I surely need a few reminders.
Keep them coming!