Illustration by Heather Clarke
“Mind your manners”, our parents reminded us in an effort to teach us to be respectful of others and garner respect for ourselves.
Despite this time-tested wisdom and first-hand guidance, however, we still see 21st century adults with respected professional titles exhibit behaviour in the workplace that throws etiquette out the window. I’m talking about outbursts that more resemble a child’s temper tantrum than a leader’s authoritative stance. Often, targeted blaming and outright contempt are not-so-subtly layered in.
After a couple of quite unbelievable reports lately from clients exposed to behaviour that I would describe as “SO not okay”, I turned to seasoned psychologist Barry Pokroy of Circle and Square Inc., to try to make sense of such extreme unprofessional conduct. Read more