Professional Courtesy and Common Sense...the same right?

[yougothired]

People never cease to amaze me these days. We live in a world that has endless means of communication. Everybody owns a cell phone. Most everyone has e-mail and internet access. Yet sometimes the concept of articulating thoughts, returning phone calls, and expressing a change of plans seems foreign to some people.

When faced with dilemma of running late for a meeting or having to cancel an appointment, do you: (A) Respect the time and effort of others by picking up the phone or (B) Conduct yourself differently by jumping into hide mode and pretending everything will just go away? The question is of course rhetorical and the answer more than anything is blatantly obvious. Yet, sometimes I fear the concept of respect of self and others is vacant and is unfortunately demonstrated often in our daily personal and professional lives.

I offer these thoughts for everyone from college graduates to seasoned professionals and everyone in between. In life, this I can guarantee: You will be late. You will be absent. You will be uninterested. And at times you will be unsure. Keep your bridges intact by insisting on honest communication and realize that you have both your words and your actions to influence the opinion and thoughts of others regarding your character. It is your choice to conduct yourself appropriately and make the decision to keep the doors open as opposed to having them shut inevitably. Choose the "road less travelled" and it will serve you better.

[Tristan]

I liked your post! The "hide and pretend everything will go away" attitude is so prevalent these days -- more and more. I absolutely hate it.

[Gary Barzel]

One would think in an age where technology is so prevalent, and the ease of access of communication is at ones fingertips, it would be a given that people communicate efficiently and effectively. I think though that part of the problem is that some people are just irresponsible. I don't think they mean any harm by not communicating effectively. If you look at other things in their lives you probably will see apattern repeating itself when it comes to responsibility. This has to be addressed at a young age, and has to be ingrained in oneself in order for it to work.