Keep It In Your Pants

Maybe it's just me but nothing annoys me more than when I am trying to talk to someone...anyone...and they have their nose buried in their BlackBerry. I understand that multitasking is a way of life now-a-days but there are some things that require undivided attention, especially when I am answering a question you asked me ("how are you?", "how is work?", etc). Maybe you are guilty of doing this to someone else but they are too polite to tell you that you are being disrespectful.

If someone asks me a question, or we are engaging in a conversation yet decides to bury their face in their phone when I am talking...I just stop talking. I suggest you do the same if someone is doing this to you. When did we become a society where the person on the other end of the wireless signal is more important that the living person in front of you?

I must admit that my husband is guilty of doing this to me every now and again and it makes me batty. Granted, it does not happen as much as it did in the past, it still happens and when it does, the s**t does hit the fan. Not only do I think this is not Ok in a relationship but also in the business world. Nothing is more annoying to clients or coworkers than when they are mid-sentence and the person they are speaking to decides to take a phone call or start typing a text/email. It makes you look bad. I suggest you not do it. If you are speaking with someone and ignore your cell phone beeping, that will make that person's day and really make them feel important. Feeling important goes a long way.

I hope in the hustle and bustle of this holiday season and in the world of business, you will make someone feel important.

A Lot of Joy, A Lack of Oy

Each year while walking through the streets of Chicago, Boston or pretty much any city in the US, I gawk over the Christmas lights and decorations. Every year seems better than the last. Santa, reindeer, nativity, etc. It really puts me in the holiday spirit and makes me appreciate the winter beauty of the city. It has done this to me since I was a child.

But then I wonder...where are all the Hanukkah decorations? I am not Jewish but I feel for those who are. Where is the menorah? Where are the blue and white lights? Shouldn't there be equal Hanukkah decorations as Christmas decorations? I know many Jewish people that host Hanukkah parties and decorate their homes as well as create anticipation and excitement in their children for the upcoming holiday but I still don't think it is fair. I have also been told that Hanukkah is not all about the presents like Christmas is, but again I say...it is not fair. Jewish children should be able to walk through big city streets and see decorations they can relate to rather than looking eye level at decorations and ads that are targeted to their Christian peers, that they are not a part of. Wasn't Jesus a Jew?

If we were living in Rome, I could see the city displaying a Christmas Tree only...or in Israel, a menorah. However we are in the United States. This is a melting pot of races and religions. Shouldn't all people and especially children, feel welcome and be able to share in annual celebrations?

As citizens of this country and of our cities, we can write letters and ask for PC decorations next year...it may help if there is enough demand. But we can start even smaller. In our offices, when you receive an email with a subject "Christmas Party" or "Christmas Grab Bag" you can be the one to speak up and make the sender realize that having "Christmas" rather than "Holiday" excludes a lot of people, especially in large companies. That small change could make a world of good in creating unity in your office and help embrace our differences.

Happy Holidays to you All.