Last week I received an email from a longtime friend, Syndi Seid. We met when she and I both served in leadership positions of an organization about 30 years ago.
Syndi is such a pleasant and happy person, but I always found her a bit intimidating to be around (especially when we dined out) as she teaches business etiquette. I’m talking forks and knives, table settings plus cultural insights when doing business internationally. So, I always felt a bit self-conscious about properly using my napkin and which fork to use for the salad course.
Even though we haven’t seen each other in person for at least a decade, we still exchange holiday cards and an occasional email. But frankly, in the age of WFH (work from home), zoom meetings and athleisure-wear, I assumed that her business had fallen off.
Well, as it turns out, her business is booming! Gen Z workers (born between 1997 – 2012) and their bosses, have realized that most Gen Z have missed learning about how to socialize and interact in an in-person, professional setting. And now that so many of us are working back in the office, going to in-person meals and meetings with our clients and vendors, it is imperative to be able to present yourself in a professional manner.
Do you think I’m being too dramatic here? Well, let’s think about it – have you gone to a meal meeting and watched people not know how to properly hold a fork or knife (I have seen this countless times, where people use utensils like cavemen).
Or how about being on a zoom call and another participant is wearing a baseball cap (in an in-person meeting this is a sign of disrespect). Or during that same zoom call, you see their unmade bed or messy room in the background? What message does that send to other attendees (whether internal or external to your organization doesn’t matter)? Is your work or this meeting something you take seriously?
So, what do you do if you have Gen Z (Zoomers) working for you (or anyone, really) and you want to make sure they don’t make any faux pas (mistakes) when socializing with customers or vendors?
First off, show them this 3-minute clip from KPIX-TV featuring Syndi and HR professional David Rice. They will see people of all ages getting helpful instructions on proper etiquette. They are not being singled out.
Second, make “business etiquette” a part of your company’s new employee orientation, or as part of your preparation for attending an upcoming conference or trade show. Don’t assume all your employees know what “professional dress” means. Professional usually means a button-down shirt, possibly a jacket, but it does not include a worn t-shirt or baseball cap with some initials or logos or bad words. If your team will be entertaining, be clear on how much alcohol they can drink, what your tipping policy is and who pays for whom.
Finally, as part of my candidate interview process with potential employees, I often will include inviting them out for a meal. It is amazing what you can learn about a candidate when you sit across from them at a meal. Imagine you are with one of your biggest clients. Will the candidate embarrass you with their lack of manners or can they hold their own during a conversation interrupted by servers (are they polite or impatient)? Do they chew with their mouth open, or eat with their fingers? Do they currently have enough executive presence to be matched up with your important clients or colleagues?
One of my clients has a remote sales team and regularly records and reviews sales calls made by representatives as part of their ongoing training process. What would you find if you incorporated this into your training program? Perhaps the reason your sales are not growing at the rate you want is that your representative isn’t following your process for sales, overly dominates the conversation vs. letting the customer do a large part of the talking, or maybe they are wearing a baseball cap during sales calls and their dog or cat is on screen.
Is etiquette still a thing? Absolutely yes, it is. Does it feel unnecessary or an invasion of personal space to invest time and money in etiquette training and policy? Possibly.
But, if you want to stand out from your competition, I suggest you do an assessment of your team and put together a plan to elevate them all to a new level.
Onward and upward,
Executive Coaching and Consulting for business CEOs, Owners and Presidents
If you are looking to grow your business or amplify your personal leadership skills, I would love to have a conversation with you. You can email me at [email protected] for a no obligation conversation.
