Why do many people interrupt a face-to-face conversation to take a phone call, as if the choice to use the telephone gave the caller Highest Priority in the Universe?Unless you’re in the midst of a crisis, the person you’re with is more important than the one calling on the cell phone, the one sending you the text message, or the one popping an e-mail into your inbox.In a world saturated with technology, I predict that people will increasingly value the leaders who give their full attention, face-to-face, without responding to the buzzing, ringing and dinging of incoming messages. If you’ve given technology priority over the person looking into your eyes, try re-ordering what gets your first response.I think you’ll collect “points in the bank” that you might not otherwise earn.
Amen. I also find it particularly irritating when people answer their cell phones in meetings. Why is their phone even ON!?? And what on earth makes them think it's anything BUT rude to take that call in a room full of people? It will continually frustrate me to see that.
From the latest edition of the newsletter/communiqué I send out to principals of our feeder schools:
So true...but with some people at work, the phone is a convenient excuse to make an escape ;-)
ReplyDeleteYes, it can be rather annoying for the one who took the time to actually show up.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I also find it particularly irritating when people answer their cell phones in meetings. Why is their phone even ON!?? And what on earth makes them think it's anything BUT rude to take that call in a room full of people? It will continually frustrate me to see that.
ReplyDeleteThat and emailing/texting in a meeting.
I could blog about this, actually. :)