Over the past few years I have developed what I refer to as the Six Pillars of Civility. Over the next few months I am going to explore these six qualities, which in my opinion, are crucial to maintaining a civilized society. The qualities are important not only to a society, but also to the [...]
While I usually write about respect from a behavioral perspective and how people treat each other in the workplace, I've never written about respect for your actual workplace, until now. After several requests, I thought it was about time to focus on something that most of take for granted or don't realize has anything to do [...]
This may sound like an exercise akin to patting your head and rubbing your tummy, but I am quite serious about this seemingly simple concept. A reader recently sent me this note illustrating the lack of awareness and kindness towards others. Perhaps we can all learn from this reader’s questions: “I really enjoy your column. [...]
Autumn is here and with it brought a return to school for students, a renewed energy in the workplace with summer holidays behind us, and the end of the extensive summer vacation for government. With everyone raring to go, there are bound to be uncontrolled fits and misplaced bursts of energy, many people jockeying for [...]
Most of us grew up with the nursery rhyme "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me". At a young age, when we would parrot such expressions while being verbally bullied, it seemed quite effective. There we would be, two kids face-to-face, finding our way through our worlds - the [...]
In the wake of the horrific shootings in Tucson on January 8, the US media, as only they can do, have really wound me up by turning this tragic event into somewhat of a Medusa. They have dutifully dissected almost every angle imaginable, as is their manner of reporting. I have listened to arguments and [...]
Did you know last month, in the wake of the shootings in Arizona, the National Institute for Civil Discourse opened? The NICD is housed at the University of Arizona, not that far from where the shootings took place. The goal of the Institute is to advocate for civility in public discourse. I encouraged this too, after the shootings, [...]
Earlier this week, along with over 30 million other viewers, I watched President Obama’s heartfelt speech at the memorial for the Tucson shooting victims. Like his predecessors after similar national tragedies, The President of the United States called on us all, as Americans, to make a change for the better. But will we? We’ve been down many similar [...]
There are a number of basic phrases which are part of any good arsenal of etiquette words. I have discussed the virtues of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in previous columns. Here I would like to share my thoughts on the phrase 'you're welcome'. This phrase usually follows 'thank you'. But more times than not, we [...]
Etiquette consultants seem to think so. In fact, the etiquette business is booming with recent grads and undergrads seeking a way to make the best impression on hiring managers. With fewer job openings and more qualified applicants, job-seekers are looking for anything to help them stand out from their peers. This is where respect comes in. [...]
