Chuck Dudley is a 1976 Graduate of the Sam M. Walton College of Business with a degree in Marketing, and holds an MBA from the Walton College in 1977. In addition, he has a degree in banking from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. Chuck has 34 years experience in investments, banking, trust, and executive benefit planning. He has spent the last 15 years helping bankers and small business owners retain, reward and retire their key executives as a Vice President for Argent Financial Group.
Chuck and his wife, Martha, live in Hot Springs and have two sons, Robert, a 2010 Information Systems graduate of the Walton College, and Thomas, currently enrolled in the Walton College. Chuck, Robert, and Thomas are members of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Chuck is a Past President of the Arkansas Alumni Association, and currently is Past President of the Walton College Alumni Society.
BUSINESS ETIQUETTE
Our society has relaxed a lot of standards over the last twenty years, and it has happened in the business world, as well. Casual dress has replaced formal dress as the uniform of the day.
But that doesn’t mean that good manners and respect in business are out of fashion, because they are not.
Several years ago (actually 1989!), there was a book written by Robert Fulghum entitled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”. Things like: share everything, play fair, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess...stuff like that.
Most people understand these things, but think they may not apply to the business world. I assure you, they do. Let’s look at some things you should consider.
EMAIL COURTESY
When you send an email to a superior, address them properly and give them the respect they deserve. “Hey dude, what’s up…” does not get it. “Dear Dr., Mr., or Mrs.” is certainly appropriate.
Organize your email communication so it can be read and understood. Until things change, and I suspect they will, email is the preferred corporate way to communicate ideas, thoughts and instructions. Not Twitter and social media. You learned how to communicate in English class. Please use what you learned so you can be understood.
ANSWER YOUR EMAIL!
If someone has taken the time to communicate with you (and it’s not spam), then you owe them the courtesy of a reply. Even if it’s just to acknowledge receipt of the communication--DO IT! No one likes to think they are being ignored, or that they aren’t valuable. Ignored email communications tell the sender that their message is not important enough to respond to. We didn’t learn that in kindergarten.
RETURN PHONE CALLS
I try to make it a point to return all calls by the end of the day. Even if I can’t reach them, it’s important to leave a message to show them that you tried. My daily worksheet is full of calls to make and I make a log of when I called. My daily sheet is also full of unreturned calls from people, so I have to add them to the next day’s work. Nothing is more frustrating than for people to not return a phone call. It’s disrespectful and it indicates that the person may not think you are important enough. I know we didn’t learn THAT in kindergarten.
SMART PHONE USAGE
Yes, everyone has a smart phone and has instant connectivity to the world. But, that doesn’t mean you have to always be checking it. Common courtesy must be balanced with the desire to always see what everyone is doing. If you are in a business meeting, leave your phone in the car. If you are in a discussion with a client, a friend, a parent, or a prospect, you can wait until you have completed that conversation before checking how the world got along without you. Consider this, if you are in a conversation with someone, and you get a vibration on your phone and decide to whip it out to check the intrusion, you have just told that person that whatever is coming across your telecommunication device is more important than them. IF, that is the message you want to convey to that person, then by all means stay the course. But if you want to show courtesy to those you are in personal contact with, put a halt to the constant connectivity. You might find it less stressful, and it’s certainly better manners. For sure, that was one of the kindergarten lessons.
BE ON TIME
As I have stated previously, on time is TEN MINUTES EARLY. Don’t be late. Realize that things can happen to make you late, such as car accidents, slow traffic, or slow elevators. To avoid being late, start early-as early as you think necessary. One of my good friends has a saying: “You can never get to an airport or a Razorback game too early!” Lots of points in that phrase--in other words, to not be late, make sure you start early.
HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL
People you work with will make judgments on you and your performance based on little things such as respect, promptness, and how you communicate with them. Give them every reason to look favorably on you. And remember, you really did learn these things in kindergarten. Even better: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Next month I’ll write about the importance of continuing your education after you leave the University of Arkansas.
Have a great start to the school year! Maybe I’ll see you on campus.
