Missed Manners
Young entrepreneurs dress down America's corporate culture.
Quiz time: When you visit an office and see the staff working in
jeans and T-shirts, are you shocked at the lack of professionalism,
or do you neglect to notice it because you're too impressed by
the prompt, friendly service you received?
Not too long ago, the term "casual Fridays" didn't
even exist, and it was unheard of to call a client by his or her
first name. Today, young business leaders value results above the
rules they consider to be outdated. "Most [young
entrepreneurs] are determined to create the kind of
results-oriented, no-nonsense environment they craved when they
weren't in a leadership position," says Bruce Tulgan,
author of Work This Way (Hyperion) and co-owner of
RainmakerThinking Inc., a New Haven, Connecticut, management
consulting firm that specializes in Gen X issues. "They're
sidestepping the kind of rules that have no connection to [their
goals]."
But as young businesses grow, etiquette may become a necessity
when working with international clients. "For a while, it was
[only important] who developed the quickest chip," says Lyndy
Janes, co-owner of The Workshoppe, an image and etiquette
consulting company in Los Gatos, California. The firm caters to
Silicon Valley "computer geeks," the mainstay of young,
nonconforming entrepreneurs. "But as you grow, you mix with
other cultures. You're dealing with other people, and you have
to show them respect. I think young [businesspeople] realize
that."
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So is this another case of growing up and conforming? Not
necessarily. Traditionalists may have to loosen up to gain the
respect of young entrepreneurs. "If I walk into an environment
where everybody looks like a stuffed shirt, I get nervous,"
says Tulgan. "Are these folks stuck in the workplace of the
past?"
As for young entrepreneurs, Bermuda shorts and other casual
attire may be acceptable in the office, but eventually they'll
need to learn which fork is which for formal business meals.
"With personal and dining etiquette, [there are] some basic
rules," says Janes. "Once you know them, you can bend
them. It's when you don't know the rules and you bend them,
you show yourself up."
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