Spike Jones at Brains On Fire has some interesting things to say about common courtesy, or the lack thereof in corporate America.
There is a fundamental breakdown in corporate America.
And it has everything to do with giving your word and not keeping it. I’m the Firestarter here and so I’m constantly making appointments to talk to people – whether in person or on the phone or web – about a possible partnership. They’ll call (or I’ll call) and chat for a bit and then, if everything feels right, we’ll schedule something to get more in-depth. But when the time comes to talk, I’m blown away at the number of times when they either don’t show up or pick up the phone when we call. This also happens when it’s time for people to “make a decision.” Decision day comes and goes without as much as an email. And it’s not just the start-ups. It’s the mega-corps as well.
It may be the Texan in me, but I find it incredibly irresponsible, unprofessional and downright disrespectful. It’s the exact opposite of Fascinate, Inspire, Reward and Engage and when it happens, we reconsider whether we would want to do business with someone that treats anybody that way.
