There was a time when it was impolite to be rude.

However, somewhere along the long, as cell phones and texting began to erode our social skills, it suddenly became all the rage to only partially pay attention to the people we were talking with.  Yes, we had agreed to meet and talk about a subject–a client, a problem in the company, an issue with a co-worker–but then, while we sit in the same room, you think it’s completely OK to fire up the phone and give your thumbs a workout while I’m making an important point.  When you don’t give much of a response, I get frustrated, you look up, realize something is wrong and ask, “What’d you say?”

Multitasking at the cost of personal contact is NOT good business.  In time, there will be a rebellion and companies will install cell-phone blocking equipment or begin a “phones-free” meeting policy.  Imagine how productive and short a meeting could be if you stayed on task?

Believe me, you’re no more important than anyone else in the room.  When we’ve sat down to talk, your phone rings and then you answer it, unless it’s a Tsunami warning, you have just offended me.  Let me help.  You invite a girl to a dance and in the middle of a dance, someone you know walks up and you just walk away from your date.

Rude is still rude.   Somewhere along the line, a good number of people began tolerating it until it reached the point of, “Oh, well, he’s just THAT way!”  I’ve witnessed going from a generation that looked ahead to the future to one that’s focused on themselves and now, where instant gratification rules and when the only time they do look ahead is when there’s a mirror in front of them.

There.  I said it.  Now I’m going to go home and check to make sure those brat kids aren’t playing on my lawn again.

Tim Hunter