Welcome back, dear readers. It's a fine late summer day here in the ATL and the barbecue grill has been busy at Chez Adams.Confession time: I'm guilty of some/not all of the following. Allow me to explain. Stay with me, here.A Forbes article from almost two years ago recently caught my attention. Forbes' staff writer Jacqueline Smith outlined what she believed are the "14 Bad Habits that Could Cost You Your Job." Ordinarily, I might not think too much of this. When curiosity got the best of me, imagine my surprise as I read through numbers 14 through number 2; the usual suspects included tardiness and lying. Then - boom! Number one hit me and hit me hard. Of course, I wanted to see how many I was guilty of - ouch! According to Ms. Smith, her article from October, 2013 reveals the number one bad habit that could cost you your job is - drumroll please - Lack of Manners! Yes, you read it right; lack of manners. Well, knock me over with a feather and go get my smelling salts, honey. Ms. Smith describes the bad habits as follows: Lying, Procrastination, Negativity, Tardiness (oh could I rat on former co-workers), Poor e-mail communication, social media addiction (my personal favorite), Bad Body Language Habits, Inattentiveness, Poor grammar, Lone Wolf Syndrome, Temper Tantrums, Inefficiency, Speaking without thinking, and - numero uno - Lack of manners.Swinging back to my confession, yes, I am guilty of some of these. As painful as it is to admit, I have realized that I am guilty of bad body language. Smith describes bad body language as rolling eyes, weak handshake and avoiding eye contact. I might ask, who isn't guilty of one of more of these from time to time? Point taken, and I have resolved to kick that habit(s). Reflecting on Ms. Smith's writing, I came to the conclusion that it could be possible that #s 14-2 are all a result of #1 - Lack of manners. Would you agree? Manners and etiquette are about being the best you can be and making others feel the same about themselves. Dressing well shows you have self-respect and respect others enough to always look your best. Good communication skills and good grammar are the same - respect for yourself and your reader(s). "One of the best pieces of advice to give someone who wants to advance in their company is to become more self-aware and be sure they are practicing habits that will be of value to the company," Myers says My complaint is I wish she had been around earlier! The good news is being more mindful of our behavior will reap incredible benefits. Now that you know what those bad habits are, I want your opinion. What would #15 be? Do you think Lack of Manners should be #1? In the lack of manners department, perhaps a certified etiquette consultant might help? Would you happen to know anyone like that wink-wink? I am available for group and private consultations. Please contact me for more information. I'm looking forward to hearing from you, and I'm not lying!!!Photo from Forbes article in pictures. Good manners included introducing yourself if you haven't met someone, a new co-worker for example.
