Work Matters

Is this a special occasion or are you always this rude?

Written by

supermoxie

in

I recently got a nice
note from a police officer named Tom, who lives near Seattle. He described a splendid “asshole management
move” that he used recently:

‘I was
recently at a conference in Colorado where four of us were giving brief
presentations.  The first three were bombarded with interruptions and
challenges by three or four people I call Nattering Nabobs of Negativity.
When it became my turn, one particular woman wouldn’t let up.  After her
first question I said, "And now I have a question for you.  Is this a
special occasion or are you always this rude?"  The audience laughed
as she slumped into her chair, never to be heard from again.’

Not bad. This
is another move to add to my “asshole
management tips.” I suspect that it
is useful on other occasions, but it is a method that needs to be used with
care. Essentially, Tom was asking (in
the terms used in The No Asshole Rule),
“Are you a temporary asshole, or a certified asshole,” albeit
in somewhat more polite language.

Comments

One response to “Is this a special occasion or are you always this rude?”

  1. Monique Germany, Great Neck, NY Avatar
    Monique Germany, Great Neck, NY

    as odd as it may sound, when I encountered the email and read the title of the article, I guessed it might have referred to how employees approach the executives in their company in casual settings; how awkward is it to approach an Executive w/ a comment then receive an abrupt stare that appears he/she is thinking….asshole.
    i remember eating in the cafeteria; it was encouraged for all employees to utilize the food services as well as encourage employee vs employee gatherings…anyways, I happened to notice a marketing CEO casually standing on line w/ his food tray, ready to swipe his card and return to his office and an over aggressive employee bumped into him while he was engaging in “fun talk” if you would. When he realized the person he bumped, instead of simply saying “excuse me” or something of that nature, he realized who he was from the company photo on the intranet and fumbled on every word but not one word was an apology.
    It’d be great to see an article on the professional approach when at a stand to stand with an executive (elevator, cafeteria), how to approach; what to say; body language..yadda yadda yadda. I’ve seen the most highly talented managers crash n fall in incidents such as these (lol).

    Reply

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