Leave the Dreaded B’s Out of the Boardroom
Posted October 8th, 2008 by admin
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Each year, thousands of Greek Life hopefuls are instructed to avoid the lethal B’s: booze, babes, bibles, and bureaucracy. This rule has a similar following in the professional world. If you want to be taken seriously and get ahead, there are some controversial conversation territories you want to avoid at all costs.
1. Booze. Picture this. It’s Friday morning, and you’re stoked for the weekend…and a little hung over from an extended Thursday happy hour. You start telling a colleague just how wasted you were the previous evening and regaling them with tales of your drunken antics. The new CEO of the company happens to be in and walks by just in time to hear the gist of the conversation. Is this really the first impression you want to give the big boss?
2. Babes. Again, it’s important to realize that anything you say in the office can and usually will travel throughout the office. If you insist on telling a co-worker all the graphic details of your Saturday night date, do it outside of the workplace. It’s just not cool to be the guy babbling on about his sexual exploits at work. There’s a time and a place.
3. Bibles. Prevent intensely awkward exchanges and potential conflicts by keeping your religious views out of the workplace. If a colleague brings something up, it’s best to remain neutral but polite. People are extremely protective of their religious views, and you don’t want to offend anyone or give anyone a reason to judge you other than on the quality of your work. If religion is important to you and you want to disclose your status, it’s fine to answer basic questions, such as what church you attend, but it’s easier to simply steer clear of this territory. You want to make sure that you never get involved in any long, philosophical debates about religious beliefs – the social outcome when these conflicts occur at work is usually grim.
4. Similar to bibles, bureaucracy debates can also lead to some uncomfortable moments at work. Unless your business depends on your political expertise, it’s best to leave your opinions out of the workplace. This is another area where people can be sensitive and easy to set off – you want to prevent confrontation or squabbles. Moreover, in most industries, politics simply isn’t something that needs to be addressed at work.
There are plenty of other taboo topics, but these are a few of the big ones. Steer clear and avoid trouble; you’ve got enough to worry about without bringing all of these controversy-hotbeds to the table!
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Great Points!
I know of a few rookies who have since come and gone from the workplace because of their braggadocio. I am sure we all have stories that we would like to tell, but like the article states there is a time and place for everything, and as it relates to these topics keep them away from the workplace. Remember, as a bro you are pro, keep it that way.