Page 21 - The Voice of Authority

Obnoxious Behavior—Courtesy of Anonymity

Have you ever had someone keep you waiting to continue
a conversation while they repeatedly answered their
phone? Or how about “no reply” bravado when you e-mail
someone with a direct question: “Can you have the report
to me by Friday before Bill’s retirement get-together at
3:00?” They respond, “Good thing you reminded me of the
party. I’ll see you at 3:00.” They never answer the question
about the report—intentionally.
Thanks to the Internet, people feel anonymous as long
as they’re not eyeball-to-eyeball with you.

Political Correctness

Similar problems occur when people are afraid that direct
communication may hurt someone’s feelings. People will
put up with bad language, bad attitudes, and bad perfor-
mance from their team members, clients, and coworkers
all in the name of political correctness. They fear being la-
beled prejudiced against a certain ethnic group, age group,
or gender. Managers often rely on e-mail notices or the
Human Resources representative to have the tough con-
versations with their employees.
In fact, some people dread a straightforward conversa-
tion so much (whether because they themselves are un-
comfortable or because the other person is defensive or
easily crushed) that they hire an outsider to deal with the
problem. People can even hire anonymous individuals on
the Internet for a small fee (www.GentleHints.com) to let
a coworker, boss, or neighbor know they wear too much
perfume, make lousy presentations, or have parties that are
too loud.

There Is Just No Communication around Here 9