I’m in half a mind as to whether to publish this or not. But what the heck. This blog is about things I am learning here in Chicago, and working in a professional environment is part of the parcel.

In my seven week journey I have had the opportunity to meet many people, of many backgrounds both professionally and culturally. I have learnt many things from the people who I work with about how to look professional, some great tips and tricks from the girls. Not so easy coming from a lab environment, where jeans and sneakers are the norm. I’ve watched and observed how different people act in different situations and I am trying to apply it. I do have some prior office experience, but that was a small town office many years ago. Most of what I have seen so far is positive, people are generally very respectful, polite and also kind. I have seen how this had helped benefit interactions and exchanges between people. I have to say when I went to Kellogg I wasn’t expecting the down to earth experience I got, I was expecting something more brutal, akin to what you would see in a movie (more of a Gordon Gekko style of treating people). Let’s just say I am glad it wasn’t like that.

However, I have come across a few instances in my seven weeks, which have probably taught me more about how to behave appropriately because of their negative example than the positive examples. In the few cases I have seen, I have met people who feel that just because they think (or are) above someone else that it is ok to be rude, shout at others for no good reason, demand things from them without having fulfilled their side of the bargain (and with no intention to). I have seen some pretty outrageous brown-nosing and one-upmanship – some of which I can’t believe didn’t send the recipient’s BS-meter into overdrive (or maybe it did and they were too professional to show it). Most of all I have seen how upsetting bad attitude can be to those who are in the vicinity, and how it disrupts a team dynamic. The question is, when is it appropriate to say something? Is it only when you are on the receiving end? Is there any benefit to calling someone out on their attitude? I don’t know. What I do know is that once someone called me out on my attitude when I was a teen. I thought I was above the work that I had been given. I remember that lesson to this day, and while painful to learn it, it obviously stuck with me.

There is a saying “manners maketh man”. I think the thing that I have learnt from observing all this is that although you may not like everyone you work with, you should strive to treat people honestly and with respect. It’s ok to disagree, but not belittle. I know in the future I am going to strive to be more like this. It only takes a couple of instances of bad attitude to ruin someone’s perception of you, and much longer to earn their respect back.