ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2006 > November > 15
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Is your career going down the toilet?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It may be….
If you don’t use good judgment about what is professional and what is not. Cell phones have certainly opened up the world of communication and provided accessibility which is unparalleled in history.
However, I have to ask myself repeatedly if anything is so urgent that it must be discussed from the bathroom stall.
More and more, you find people in the corporate environment so compelled to perform that they can’t even take a 5 minute personal time-out in the bathroom!
Unfortunately if you are the recipient of a phone call that begins or ends with a “swoosh” - you may not feel completely respected by the caller.
The worse news is if you are gossiping about the unnerving bad habits of your boss or co-worker, you may find your career going down the drain once you realize that the “Gossip Busters” didn’t reform ‘Busybody Betty’ who just overheard every word! Let’s face it cell phones are addictive as are bluetooth headsets!
I have often got in the elevator with someone who looks like they are talking to themselves, when in fact their headset is just covered by their hair or a hat! Call me crazy but this really throws me for a loop! It’s so hard to tell when this culprit is talking to me or the person on the line.
I too think I am saving time when I call people walking down the hall, speeding down GA 400, or jetting onto Hartsfield’s runway. The question we all need to ask is are we doing ourselves any favors? After all, communicating is about more than picking up the phone.
It is about being ‘present’ in the conversation and actively listening to the other person. Focusing on the topics of discussion and responding in a articulate manner is something that chronic cell phone users may have forgotten.
Most would agree talking on the toilet is not professional, but the bigger question is are you using your cell phone as the business tool it was intended to be…not just for timely but effective communication?
Do you make calls while you are using the bathroom or have you been a recipient of toilet talk? Know any incessant bluetooth headset junkies?
