Today’s career success advice comes courtesy of Charlie Brown – the Denver city councilman, not the Peanuts character.  In an op-ed piece he wrote for the Denver Post entitled “Put Down Your BlackBerry and Listen to the Citizens,” he urges his fellow city council members to not use their cell phones during council meetings.

At the end of every Denver city council meeting, individual citizens are given three minutes at the podium to speak to the council about any subject they choose.  Councilman Brown said…

“At the end of one recent council meeting, I observed several colleagues with hands below their desktops, eyes focused down, trying hard to hide their frantic texting during much of the public hearing.  The council president called each speaker by name to the podium located a few steps from council members.  But even the close proximity didn’t matter.  Texting continued as some members seemed oblivious to the speakers.”

A little further into his piece, Councilman Brown quoted Denver Mayor Michael Hancock…

“As a former Denver city councilman, I think it is a good idea to limit the use of cell phones during public hearing.  It’s about being courteous to your fellow council members and to those who have come to speak before the council.”

I agree with Councilman Brown and Mayor Hancock.  Tweet 108 in my career advice book Success Tweets says, “Live people take precedence over phone calls.  Continue in person face to face conversations, rather than answering your cell phone.”

When I wrote this tweet, I was writing about how to become an effective communicator – not about elected officials.  Quite frankly, I was shocked to read Councilman Brown’s op-ed piece.  In my opinion, the public hearing is the most important part of a city council meeting.  Council members need to demonstrate basic courtesy to their constituents by listening to what they have to say.

Setting aside the disrespect that Denver city council members show their constituents, there is some great life and career advice in Councilman Brown’s op-ed piece.

I am really sorry that Women’s Edge Magazine is no longer with us.  I used to find a lot of great career advice and common sense wisdom in its pages.  The January 2008 issue of Women’s Edge made two great quotes that relate to the career advice in Success Tweet 108.

• “Communicate respect in every encounter with every person, regardless of position or background.”  Robyn Hall, Raleigh Police Department
• “Listen and speak at the same time, meaning that you actively engage people with your full attention.”  Judy Fourie, J. Fourie & Company

I urge you to follow these two pieces of career success advice.  They will help you become known as an interpersonally competent person and a dynamic communicator and a life and career success.

Focusing on live people – rather than your electronic gadgets – is the best way to demonstrate your respect for others.  Respect is the key to building strong relationships with the people in your life – not just those who can do something for you, but everyone you meet.  Many people – like some members of our Denver City Council — show a lot of respect for people above them in the hierarchy, and little respect for those below them.  This is too bad.  Often people below you can do as much or more for you than those above you.  But that’s not the point.  The point is that they’re people too, and as such, are entitled to your respect.

The Optimist Creed has some great things to say about respect.  It encourages us to, “Promise yourself to make all your friends feel as if there is something in them…and to give every living creature you meet a smile.”   If you want a copy of The Optimist Creed to hang in your office, go to http://BudBilanich.com/optimist.

Judy Fourie’s quote is interesting for what it has to say about human interaction.  I like the idea of “listening and speaking at the same time.”  In other words, as you engage someone, listen very carefully to what he or she has to say so you can respond appropriately.  What you say should be directly related to what the other person has just said.  This demonstrates that you are listening.  It also demonstrates that you value what he or she says – a great way to show someone that you respect him or her.

Being fully engaged means that, unlike some members of the Denver City Council, you shut out the distractions of the world and focus your attention on the person who is speaking to you.  People tell me that they can never get me on my cell phone.  This is true.  My cell phone is not a good way to contact me because it is usually off.  My cell phone is usually off because I am often in conversations with my career success coach clients.  I don’t want the distraction of a ringing or vibrating cell phone when I’m trying to concentrate on another person and what he or she is saying.

The two quotes from Women’s Edge Magazine above are complementary.  One of the best ways to show others that you respect others is to engage them.  One of the best ways to engage people is to listen to what they say and respond appropriately.  If you keep these two pieces of common sense advice in mind as you meet people, you’ll be on your way to becoming an interpersonally competent person and the life and career success you deserve to be.

The career success coach point here is simple common sense.  Demonstrate your respect for other people by paying attention to them and what they have to say.  Don’t act like some of the members of the Denver City Council.  Follow the career advice in Tweet 108 in Success Tweets.  “Live people take precedence over phone calls.  Continue in-person, face-to-face conversations, rather than answering your cell phone.”  Focusing on live people – rather than your electronic gadgets – is the best way to demonstrate your respect for others.  Respect is the key to building strong relationships with the people in your life – not just those who can do something for you, but everyone you meet.  Strong relationships are an important key to your life and career success.

That’s the career advice I took from reading Charlie Brown’s op-ed piece on cell phone use during Denver City Council meetings.  What do you think?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading my daily musings on life and career success.   I value you and I appreciate you.  And, I promise to turn off my cell phone if we every have a face to face conversation.

Bud

PS: If you haven’t already done so, please download a free copy of my popular career advice book Success Tweets and its companion piece Success Tweets Explained.  The first gives you 140 bits of career advice, all in 140 characters or less.  The second is a whopping 390 + pages of career advice explaining each of the common sense tweets in Success Tweets in detail.  Go to http://budurl.com/STExp to claim your free copy.  You’ll also start receiving my daily life and career success quotes.

PPS: I opened a membership site on September 1.  It’s called My Corporate Climb and is devoted to helping people create career success inside large corporations.  To celebrate the grand opening, I’m giving away a new career advice book I’ve written called I Want YOU…To Succeed in Your Corporate Climb.  You can find out about the membership site and get the career advice in I Want YOU… for free by going to http://www.mycorporateclimb.

I am continuing with my series of posts on the career success coach advice in my latest book Success Tweets: 140 Bits of Common Sense Career Success Advice, All in 140 Characters or Less.  It has just gone into its second prinitng.  You can purchase a copy of Success Tweets at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com.  Better yet, you can download a free copy at www.SuccessTweets.com.

Today’s career advice comes from Success Tweet 72…

21st century technology has created new etiquette rules.  Learn and use them to appear polished on line and off.

People with positive personal impact are always polite.  They know and understand the basic rules of etiquette.  But 21st century technology has created new etiquette challenges.  Here are a few thoughts on how to be courteous while using your latest gadget.

• Never text and drive – never.  If you want to make a call, use your hands free device.  Better yet, wait till you get where you’re going to make cell phone calls.

• When you are in a public place, like an airport concourse, don’t stretch your laptop power cord across the floor.  You can cause a serious accident.  Find a place to sit where you can be close to the power source – even if it means sitting on the floor while you charge your battery.

• Listen to local people in your car, instead of relying on your GPS device.  It’s the polite thing to do – and you will probably get where you’re going sooner.

• If a stranger offers to take your picture, return the favor.  Ask if he or she has a camera and would like for you to take a photo of him or her and friends.  If not, ask if they have an email address where you can send a picture of him or her that you will take with your camera.

• Use the “reply all” button only when everybody on the original e mail list will really want to hear your thoughts.  In most cases, it’s better to reply to the sender only.

• Don’t wear your Bluetooth earpiece if you are not on a call.  At best, you look like a limo driver.  At worst, you look foolish.

• DO NOT TYPE E MAILS IN ALL CAPS.  All caps indicate that you are yelling.  It is bad form and does not help you make a positive personal impact.

Computers and airplanes present other potential etiquette gaffes.  Here are my thoughts on airplane computer etiquette.

• When you’re on a plane and your neighbor is working on his or her laptop, don’t snoop.  That spreadsheet is none of your business.

• Don’t stare at your neighbor’s movie.  If you’d like to watch it without sound, ask first.

• On the other hand, be neighborly.  If you see someone straining to peek at your movie or music video, invite him or her to watch.  You might make a new friend.

• Bring headphones.  If you plan to watch a movie or play a game with sound, spare your neighbors the noise.  If you forget, ask a flight attendant for airline headphones.

• Defend yourself.  Bring earplugs or noise canceling headphones to shut out others’ laptop sounds.

• Speak up.  If you have a problem with the sound or the content coming from your neighbor’s laptop, tell the person.  If that doesn’t work, contact a flight attendant. 

• Be considerate.  Leave the porn and gore flicks at home.

But cell phones are still the most abused electronic device.  Here are my thoughts on what to do and what not to do when it comes to creating positive personal impact with your cell phone.  You probably don’t know it, but July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month, so this is a timely post.

• Avoid speaking loudly on your cell phone when you are in a public place – a restaurant, airport concourse, airplane (before the door closes).  No one wants or need to hear your conversation.  This is good advice for two reasons.  First, you won’t be disturbing the people around you.  Second, your business will remain private.

• Ask permission first. When you think that you may be receiving an important call, let others know and ask their permission to leave your phone on and to take the call.

• Excuse yourself. When the all-important call comes, excuse yourself and find that secluded spot.

• Turn your cell phone off. Whether you are attending personal or professional functions, just turn off the phone. You can check your messages later. Few of us are so indispensable that we cannot be out of contact for a few minutes or hours.

• Use the silent ringer or vibrate function appropriately. When you are in the presence of others, it is just as inconsiderate to check the incoming call as it is to answer it. If your phone vibrates, excuse yourself to check the call, or better yet, check it later. You are really discounting a person to whom you are speaking suddenly say, “Do you mind if I check my phone and see who this is?” You almost hold your breath waiting to see who will win the attention of your companion, you or the caller?

• Keep your voice down. The phone may look tiny, but it picks up sound perfectly well.

• Behavior is the problem, not the phones.

The common sense career success coach point here is simple.  Successful people create positive personal impact.  They follow the career advice in Tweet 72 in Success Tweets.  “21st century technology has created new etiquette rules.  Learn and use them to appear polished on line and off.”  New electronic devices can help you stay in touch 24/7.  They can also lead you to break simple rules of etiquette and civility.  Use your common sense when using your electronic gadgets – especially the text function on your cell phone.  Never text and drive.  Texting and driving is dangerous, illegal in most states, and an accident waiting to happen.

That’s my take on the career advice in Tweet 72 in Success Tweets.  How about you?  What etiquette tips do you have for using electronic devices?  Please take a minute to share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment.  As always, thanks for reading.  I really appreciate you.

Bud