We live in a world where people skills seem to have vanished. Have you had any of the following reactions in the past month or maybe in the past week?
WOW! That man just cut me off in traffic and shared his rude hand gesture towards me. Honestly, I was only driving the speed limit.
WOW! I was having a conversation with a friend when out of the blue the F word entered in.
WOW! I was put on hold without asking my permission, and they kept me hanging way too long.
WOW! I got slammed by a colleague who jumped to a conclusion without asking for clarification.
WOW! I got snubbed in the shoe store over the weekend. I was wearing jeans and tennis shoes. The clerk left me to pay attention to another woman all spiffed up in her finery.
Enough is enough!
So where did civility go? Where did respect for others go? Why is rudeness rampant? There’s simply no reason to show disrespect – outside or inside the work environment.
There are implications and consequences of incivility. If it’s a parent, the kids could take it out on others. If it’s a friend, that friendship could be questioned. If it’s a boss who is seen as a bully, there will be a disengaged staff. If it’s an employee, the work environment becomes caustic. It’s simply a no win cycle, and it may be time to develop better people skills.
These are the rude behaviors people most often admit to seeing in themselves.
If the shoe fits – TAKE IT OFF AND CHECK YOUR FIT
• Hibernates into e-gadgets
• Uses jargon even when it excludes others
• Ignores invitations
• Is judgmental of those who are different
• Grabs easy tasks while leaving difficult ones for others
• Does not listen
• Emails/texts during meetings
• Pays little attention to others
• Takes others’ contributions for granted
• Belittles others non-verbally
• Neglects saying please or thank you
If your recognize any of these traits in yourself, remember it’s never too late to develop people skills!
