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One of my conversations was about what’s fair and unfair,
another about if black people were relevant in the
workplace, what is success and the personal integrity of the
presidential candidates who have lost control of their
temperament.
Etiquette is the universal connector to the world. It
develops our personal effectiveness which is our ability to
create distraction free environments. The good news is that
most people are aware of the importance of personal
effectiveness. The not so good news is that people are
unsure of how to develop it or how to demonstrate it.
As I acknowledge the 85th birthday (December 31) of the late
Odetta Holmes, folk singer, elementary teacher, and civil
rights movement leader, I’m reminded of her love of “work
songs” that she said people would sing to ease the pain of
the times.
She said, “They were liberation songs," she later recalled.
"You're walking down life's road, society's foot is on your
throat, every which way you turn you can't get from under
that foot. And you reach a fork in the road and you can
either lie down and die or insist upon your life ... those
people who made up the songs were the ones who insisted upon
life." What do you insist upon? What “work song” are you
singing?
You may be asking: Robin, what does this have to do with
etiquette and image? Well, as usual, I’m glad you asked.
Like Odetta said, work songs were liberation songs and the
people who made up the songs were the ones who insisted upon
life.
Etiquette insists that you sing songs of life, success,
confidence, personal integrity and respect in every
environment and situation. If your image reflects a sad,
low value, irrelevant song, studies have shown that what we
pour into our human media (our brain and body) will be
revealed on the outside. Your personal effectiveness will
elevate you into places that your professional development
will not.
Here are four tips to help you “insist upon life” in your
workplace:
1.
Avoid singing the fair and unfair
song:
Being fair is defined by dictionary.com as 1) free from
bias, dishonesty or injustice; proper under rules... If you
are faced with a situation where you believe you have been
treated unfairly, evaluate the situation and start with
yourself. For example, in sports, there has to be a winner
and a loser. In case of a tie during regulation time then
more time is put on the clock to try to break the tie.
Either way, an even playing field was set but it’s how you
play the game that will measure your temperament or your
ability to maintain control if the outcome is not in your
favor. No, the field is not always fair
2.
Sing a song of relevance: If you do not make
yourself relevant you are not adding value to
your company. What is it that you do that no one else can do
or want to do that connects you to the company? For
example, if you have a cookie-cutter resume from the resume
factory or online resume temples (I have used them many
times), what makes you more relevant than your competition?
What stands out about you that makes you more relevant.
3.
Sing a song of success:
Success to me is achieving your goals. Wake up with a plan
every day. If you have identified what makes you relevant
it will be easier to set goals which will lead to your
success. Establish your SMART Logic plan and work your
plan.
4.
Sing a song of integrity:
Maintaining your integrity will help you to sleep good every
night. Money, power, success are just three things that
could negatively affect our morals and ethical principles.
Avoid having your integrity measured by others who’s
standards do not challenge you to do your best. For example,
just because one employee can take an extra 15 min. long
lunch break does not mean you can. Fifteen minutes turns
into dollars or lost production. It costs the company and
could cost you your job.
I hope these four tips will help you think differently about
the way you approach work and how having a song in your in
your pocket can add value to the bottom line of your
company.
In closing, I thank the late Odetta for her insight into how
through hard times we can still sing a song that can empower
us to keep on moving with confidence, personal integrity and
respect.
Quote from Odetta
“The better we feel about ourselves, the fewer times we have
to knock others down to feel tall”.
Odetta
Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
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