Three Mistakes an Employee should avoid (Laughter is the best stress reliever) *Reposted from June 12th,2008*

Three mistakes an employee should avoid:

1. Dressing better than the Vice President of Sales
2. Driving a car better that the General Manager, and
3. On Friday afternoons, openly displaying that he/she had a great week at work.

               - Advice from a General Manager two decades ago, who had a terrific sense of humor.

STORY LINE

A few decades ago, a Silicon Valley start-up company I was working for was acquired by a rather large company from another region of the world. The employees from the acquiring company were very formal in their dress and in their grooming habits. Noticing that I was not dressed to their standards, and because I was the person involved in customer and supplier relationships, they hinted that I was at liberty to consult one of their experts to help me with this problem.

The hint (i.e. this seemed to be an unwritten condition for continued employment) was received loud and clear.  I told their expert to help me buy the best possible clothes, no expense spared. We walked away from one designer store with a couple of very expensive suites, ties, and shoes.

I reported into work the next day in my new attire, but being an engineer I never noticed that my clothes were drawing a lot of wide-eyed attention from the people in sales.

A few months later, I went out for lunch with one of my friends. On the way back to my office, he asked me to test drive his beautiful Mercedes Benz. I politely declined, saying I was not worthy of such a prestigious car, but I eventually gave in to his persistence.

Upon returning to my office, I parked the car in the visitors parking space, which happened to face the General Manager's office window. As soon as I entered the building, our receptionist told me that Mr. Walters, our General Manager (GM) wanted to see me immediately.

As I entered his office, and before I could station myself in a chair, Mr. Walters told me, "young man, there are three mistakes an employee should avoid. And you are making all three of them." Remembering that it was Friday afternoon, I started visualizing my last paycheck.

"The first mistake," Mr. Walters continued, "don't dress better than VP of sales. All these guys in sales are wondering how a guy in the operations department could afford such a luxury." Nervous, I told him, "But it is you guys who wanted me to dress up. You can't get me for that!" Replied the GM, "dress up right, but not that much. A lot more modest."

"The second mistake," said the GM, "don't drive a car better than the General Manager." I replied, "but Mr. Walters, that was not my car. This friend of mine asked me to try out his car. On the way I was so careful driving that some teenagers got angry with my speed and flipped a finger at me. I have never been humiliated like that in the modest Toyota that I drive." Realizing that it had became a double jeopardy for me, the General Manager dropped that charge.

It was dawning on me that Mr. Walters could be in one of his humorous moods, so I dared to ask, "so what is my third mistake that will decide whether I am employed with you or not?"

He said, "you see, every Friday when you are heading home, you are whistling in the hallway, looking noticeably happy. And when people ask you how was your week, you say that it was great, very productive."  Totally confused, I asked, "what is wrong with that Mr. Walters? I serve you well, and I enjoy what I do.  The other day in the employee forum, you told us all to have fun."

"Well that is true, but don't make it that visible. Some people are wondering if you actually do any work. While they are stressed out with so many issues and looking forward to the weekend, you show that you had a great week and are looking forward to Mondays." Chastened, I replied, "but Sir, you hired me to tackle problems in the first place and you know that I give 111%. So how do I handle this Mr. Walters?"

"When people ask how was your week. just say: 'Oh, boy, it was hectic. So many issues, I couldn't get enough done.' Look a little miserable and your colleagues will feel assured that you are part of the team."

REFLECTION

By then I knew that Mr. Walters, who was one of the rare persons at that level with a terrific sense of humor, was in his lighter mood. I whistled and headed home.

Comments

[Enlightened]

Wow!!! I have so far committed all the cardinal sins and that too all the time….darn, no wonder.

[Friend]

Mistake #4: To send out emails while on vacation. That shows you care more for the job than your boss. (:)

[Prem]

Add 1 more to the list of 3.
Yes, don’t allow frens to tag u on FB..Especially on events that wld mislead ppl into thinking u are having too much fun 

[Mark Dennen]

Being from the East, I am a firm believer in dressing properly for work. It sets a tone and keeps you sharp. And when people asked why you are dressed, you can respond, "One dresses to honor the person whom they are about to meet."

My sales staff was always required to wear a suit and when IBM went casual, their purchasing personnel thought it gave us a negotiation advantage because we were dressed and they were not (they changed back).

One other comment about dressing comes from my saintly mother, her name was Grace, "If you dress for anything, you dress for Church." I think this links right back to my first paragraph.

[BHSC]

I whistle and look noticeably happy every day... that is part of my life mission. So good thing I telecommute on Fridays so I don’t’ make the mistake below, eh?



Thanks for sharing and best regards

[Shanghai Friend]

Thanks for sharing such a funny story… 

[SC]

Thanks for sharing! It is fun and lifts up Friday mood 

[Colleague]

Haha, when I was a college intern at .... Labs, my supervisor told me to “Never be on the edge, but look at you’ll always on the edge.”

Have a great weekend.