Unprofessional Development Case Study
Business Etiquette
Fred Edwards, a low-level database manager, was full of unprofessional behavior. His emails were covered in spelling and grammar errors. He openly used the company's computers to purchase novelty hats on eBay. His cubicle blared polka music every afternoon. Mary Kerri, his supervisor, finally approached him one day. "Edwards," She said, "You're a decent employee, but you've got to work on your business etiquette. It doesn't matter how good your work is; if you don't learn some manners, nobody will ever promote you!" Edwards took her words to heart, and in the following weeks he strived to be a better employee. His emails improved, and only had grammar errors in them. He became better at hiding his use of eBay. And instead of blaring polka music all day, his cubicle now blared elevator music. Two months passed, and Edwards' quarterly employee review came around. "I've been monitoring your performance, and I'm very impressed." Said Mary Kerri. "How would you like to represent our company at the International Convention of Hypothetical Companies, in India?" Edwards agreed, and the very next week he arrived in India for the three-day convention. Unfortunately, while enroute to the convention centre, he was eaten by a tiger.
Moral of the story: If you stay unprofessional, you won't be eaten by a tiger!
Discussion Questions:
What are the actual odds of getting eaten by a tiger in India? I'm just curious.
Does anybody actually like polka music?
How about elevator music?
Have you ever been eaten by a tiger? If so, explain.