Business Etiquette

(adapted from Emerson Taylor’s book “Graduates’ Guide To

Business Success”)
Career Services, Georgia Southern University
Graduates’ Guide to Business
Success
Solutions that Enable College
Graduates to Excel in Business
 Difference Between School and
Business
 School  Business
 Individual  Teamwork
 Tests  Relationships
 Quantified  Subjective
 Customer  Employee
 Objective  Judgments
 Written  Verbal
 Senior  Trainee
 Most Important Skill
 How to read
people.
 Become a people
watcher.
 Be a good listener.
 Predict what you
think they’re going
to do.
 Most Important Skill
 Create Positive
Relationships
 Find out what
people want and
help them get it.
 Be alert to people’s
interests and
hobbies.
 Most Important Skill
 Use Positive
Relationships to
Achieve Your Goals
 Once you establish a
relationship never abuse
them. Thank them!
 Be aware of another’s
position, what they can and
can not do, relationships with
others, and ethics of the
situation.
 Develop Good Work Habits
 Competition: Be the  Work Hours: Adjust
best. your hours around
 Honesty & Integrity: others. Watch
Reputation is attendance and
important. Don’t absences.
steal time. Deadlines are very
Demonstrate important. Make all
integrity. Keep meetings and
confidences. appointments.
 Develop Good Work Habits
 Neatness: Many  Volunteer for
advantages of projects. Guard
looking neat. against over-
 Workloads: Develop promising.
an eager and willing  Breaks and
attitude. Don’t be a Lunches:
complainer. Offer  Be aware of
your assistance to customs and
others. reputation
 Develop Good Work Habits
 Perception is
Reality: What does
your boss and
others think of you?
 Getting your
money’s worth:
That’s what the
company wants.
New Skills Are Important
 Organization:
Calendars, files, and
lists.
 Calendar: Don’t over
book, give yourself
travel time.
 Filing System: Dept.
filing system and
develop a tickle file.
New Skills Are Important
 Boss
Communication List:
Tasks and
achievements.
 Criticism: Accepting:
How to accept it,
admit it, thank them,
and demonstrate
change.
New Skills Are Important
 Criticism: Giving.
 Have a plan, make it
positive, and adjust
your criticism.
 Give Compliments
 Acknowledge
Others: Learn
names & be friendly.
Learn the Desirable Traits
 Positive Attitude:
Develop a + attitude
and create a +
image.
 General Knowledge:
Stay current in your
field.
 Control your Anger.
Learn the Desirable Traits
 Patience
 Conforming: Adjust to
image & value of
company.
 Humor: Using or
developing a sense of
humor helps you enjoy
business and
encourages others to
like you.
Your Boss
 Learn & accept the
importance of your
boss.
 Your boss’s success
depends on you!
 Learn what your
boss expects from
you: habits, skills,
traits.
Your Boss
 No surprises!
 Communicate!
 Demonstrate loyalty.
 Keep confidences.
 Remember your
boss is human.
 Use your boss as a
mentor.
Your Boss
 If you disagree with
your boss:
 Seek experienced
outside advice.
 Discuss privately
with boss.
 Remember your
boss makes the final
decision.
 Your Boss’s Managing Style
 Identify your
Boss’s style.
 Identify your
Boss’s
Preference.
 Identify your
management
style.
 Your Boss’s Managing Style
 Managing Styles
are:
 Fear/Intimidation
 Logic/Reasoning
 Emotion/Instinct
 Expertise/technical
knowledge
 Organizational Charts
 Organizational  Personal
Charts Relationship Charts.
 Expectations within  Predict promotions.
groups: senior
managers,
secretaries, middle
managers,
colleagues,
technical personnel.
 Politics
 Politics are defined
as …“having
practical wisdom;
prudent; shrewd;
diplomatic.”
 Your opinion counts.
 Negative & Positive
Opinions.
 Politics: 5 Political Categories
 Naively Innocent:  Achiever: Politics is the
 Politics don’t exist. use of positive
relationships that help
 Idealist: Politics is the
achieve your goals.
use of unfair relationships
and must be eliminated.  Power Seeker: Politics
 Disgruntled is the use of any
Loser:
relationship that gets you
Politics is the use of
to the top.
unethical relationships
that harm honest people.
 Learn about the politics
in your organization!
 Take Advantage of High Visibility
Situations
 Make contacts to start develop positive relationships
and present a professional business image.
 4 Type of Meetings: Working, Decision, Staff or
Update, Introduction. (know your role in each)
 Take Advantage of High Visibility
Situations
 Attend Business Lunches
 Practice Public Speaking
 Social and Business Events: Practice the 5 rules
 1) Always attend
 2) Maintain professional image
 3) Use good manners
 4) Limited alcohol
 5) Mingle
 Teamwork
 You will be part of
multi-level teams.
 There is team
dependency. Don’t
overlook deadlines.
 Some members over
control their territories.
 Learn your role in
decision making.
Use Effective Communication Skills
 Verbal
 Influence others
 Telephone
 Written
 Say it before you write
it
 Short, Sweet & to the
Point.
 Company Format
Use Effective Communication Skills
 Use the Least
Formal Rule
 The Cool Down Rule
 Computer use:
watch the e-mail
and internet
 Making Mistakes Positive
 Don’t use these  Deny it.
unsuccessful  Make Excuses.
techniques:  Blame Others.
 Avoid thinking about  Be A Martyr.
it.
 Cover it up.
 Ignore it.
 Plead Ignorance.
 Making Mistakes Positive
 Remember producers make  Admit it &
mistakes.
 How you recover is the
Recommend
solution. Solutions.
 Plan to Show  Maximize Effort.
Excellence.  Change Preventive
 Establish Preventive Procedures.
Procedures.  Communicate to
 Analyze Mistakes. Management.
 The Ideal Business Image
 Components of  Selecting Your
Business Image Professional Image
 Wardrobe  Know the dress
 Accessories rules.
 Grooming  Know what is
 Imagining Success appropriate.
 What is the
company “uniform”?
 Watch Your Personal Life
 Your personal life
is important for
promotions!
 Start out with an
acceptable image.
 Keep your private
life private.
 Watch Your Personal Life
 Business has
concerns about 3
things in your
personal life.
 financial
 personal
relationships
 personal time
 Watch Your Personal Life
 Don’t have the
swinging singles
stereotype.
 Get involved in
activities that can
help your career.
 Find out your
company’s
acceptable standards.
 Preparing for Your First Day
 Get an apartment/house and get settled
before your first day.
 Practice the commute from your new
home to work.
 Have your vacation before you work and
don’t expect one for at least 6 months to
one year after you start.
 Research your company and industry.
 Preparing for Your First Day
 Researching Your
Company.
 Function/Purpose
 Location/Employees
 Procedures/Benefits
 Congratulations: It’s Your First
Day
 The company’s
objectives the first day
are:
 1) Provide you with
basic information,
 2)Continue the positive
impression they have
given you, and
 3) Make you a
productive employee.
 Congratulations: It’s Your First
Day
 What happens the  Meet with your manager
first day  Introductions to
 New Employee employees
Orientation  Your desk and tour
 History  You have 2 goals!
 Organization Chart  Create a good
 Work Rules impression &
concentrate on
 Benefits
people!
 Your job
What Would You Recommend to
This New Employee?
 An employee doesn’t
like the boss. He does
his job well, but rolls his
eyes when he thinks the
boss isn’t looking &
talks with other staff
members when the
boss isn’t around.
 What are the
consequences?
 What Would You Recommend to
This New Employee?
 A new employee
never stays late on
the job and never
volunteers to assist
with evening projects.
Evening projects have
to be delegated.
 What are the
consequences?
What Would You Recommend to
This New Employee?
 A new employee
often invites other
staff members to
lunch but never
invites one staff
member who he
dislikes.
 What is the
consequence?
What Would You Recommend to
This New Employee?
 Sue gets along with
her boss but doesn’t
show the same type of
interactions with her
colleagues. Her co-
workers see her as
“kissing up” to the
boss.
 What is the
consequence?
What Would You Recommend to
This New Employee?
 Ken is always late
for meetings and
never has his work
done on time.
 What is the
consequence?
What Would You Recommend to
This New Employee?
 At X company,
projects are worked
on as teams. When
Karen works on
projects she takes
total control of the
entire project?
 What is the
consequence?
What things do you see as poor
business etiquette in your part-
time and /or summer jobs?