As I left the office at the end of the day, I took the elevator down 22 floors with three people I did not know.
About half way down, the elevator stopped, and an older woman (who we’ll call Rose), who seemed unfamiliar with the building or its floor numbering system, got on and pressed several buttons in a confused attempt to find the floor for the valet. In doing so, she prolonged the elevator ride for all of us.
Before I had a chance to lend assistance, one of the others in the elevator (who we’ll call Ron) snickered at the older woman, “Is this really the first elevator you have ever been on in your life? Why don’t you just get off until you can figure out what floor you need to be on?”
Ron followed up his verbal cruelty by rolling his eyes, shaking his head in disgust, and looking around at the rest of us to validate his comment.
I immediately glared back at Ron and exclaimed, “Did that make you feel good…well, did it?” I continued to stare hard. I could feel everyone else in the elevator cringe at the impending confrontation. Ron’s face turned crimson red. He was shocked that someone had actually called him out on his bad behavior.
The elevator doors opened and Ron bolted for his car. I assisted Rose to the valet, but couldn’t stop thinking about Ron. How many times had he escaped from a similar situation without being reprimanded? How many people – an assistant, a junior colleague, a food server, a housekeeper, or a nanny – were regularly subjected to Ron’s ill treatment?
Professionals with strong, personal brands recognize the need to not only surround themselves with individuals who offer praise and encouragement, but also individuals — a friend, colleague, spouse, mentor, coach, advisor — who will provide constructive criticism. That way, when we say or do something that is BADfortheBRAND™, we are made aware of it, and we have the chance to correct it.
Almost every organization has some process in place to ensure messages are properly communicated and services are delivered at a certain standard. This is a form of brand or reputation management. Newspapers have editors, law firms and accountancies require a “second set of eyes,” and high-profile celebrities and politicians have press secretaries.
Who is your personal branding editor-in-chief?
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Exactly like the guy who abuses/condescends/ignores the receptionist or staff member before putting on his biggest smile for his meeting with Mr. Big Client. Using your power (or perception of it) with those you perceive to be “unimportant” or “barriers to the people who count” is heinous in general and dangerous for your business. That “little old lady” could be Mr. Big’s wife, mother, assistant, etc. Life is funny and it may not be long before that kind of bad behavior poisons an important relationship in a way we may never anticipate. Right on, Jonathan!
This reminds me of one of the stories I hear every morning on KNX-FM Radio from Michael Josephson (of the Josephson Institute of Ethics). He ends every one of his essays by saying “…always remember: character counts”. It’s another way of reminding us to be sure that everything we do is consistent with the promise of our personal brand.
These kind of “horror” stories are all too common. Fabulous that you called “Ron” out on his poor behavior! In business, as well as life in general, having good character- as opposed to “being a character”- is always best. If you take care of your character, your reputation will take care of itself.
Awesome post Jonathan!
Shawn McCarthy
“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs- one step at a time”!
Love it! Keep them coming Jonathan.