Courtesy Inside and Outside of the Cubicle

Posted on by
2

“What’s that smell?”  “I can’t hear myself think!” “Can you turn that down?”  “Did someone take my red stapler?”  “My lunch is missing?”  “What’s that green stuff in the refrigerator?”   “Oh My! Please put your shoes back on!”

There are some things that just can’t be ignored when we are in close quarters if we want a productive and harmonious work environment. Unfortunately most people don’t have the luxury of a private office and of having all their co-coworkers be considerate.  Whether its’ out of ignorance, social style, or culture, some actions bring productivity to a grinding halt.

What can we do?

How do you tell someone that their food, breath, or body has an offensive odor, or that their music or conversations are too loud, distasteful, or distracting without causing more contention and hurt feelings?  I’ve heard stories where people have had others take their lunch out of the refrigerator and eat it, stood over them while they were having a personal conversation, and spoke to them in an unprofessional manner.  Some leave a mess in common areas and make it unsanitary and uncomfortable to eat or meet there.

Do You Have A Cubicle or Workplace Story to Share?

Have you ever had to work closely with others and found it to be a challenge?  I’m working on a course dealing with cubicle courtesy and would like to hear some of your cubicle stories and how you solved them if you did.  Meanwhile enjoy the resources I’ve pulled together for you below.

  1. Rules for Cubicle Courtesy– Career Builders- (10Tips_
  2. Workplace Etiquette (Sound, Scent, and Sight) – (10 Tips)
  3. Cubicle Courtesy– By Chelsea Benham- (21 Tips)
  4. Workplace Ethics-Common Sense and Courtesy Aren’t So Common– Brian Carr (8 Tips)
  5. Take This Quiz:  Do You Know Workplace Courtesy? – Job Journal Archive
  6. Courtesy in the Workplace–  (25 tips)
  7. Office Manners– (over 40 tips)
  8. Seven Workplace  Etiquette Tips to Build Teams– Rachel Wagner
  9. Showing Respect at Work (3 Basic Tips)
  10. Taming Workplace Incivility – Multiple Tips

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Are Libraries a Dying Breed?

Posted on by
1

The library introduced me to Pippi Longstockings.  Do you remember getting your first library card and going to the library?  I remember looking at all the books and thinking about which one I’d pick to take home.  We didn’t have a lot of books in our home growing up, so the library book was really special. I remember being amazed as I grew older that you could take out as many books as you wanted.   My favorite series as a child was ‘Pippi Long-stockings.’ She was a girl that lived alone with no parents.  I barely remember what the book series was about, but I remember getting excited as I took back each book and got out the next one in the series.  I guess I must have identified with her independence for although we had adults in the home, their alcoholism made us have to fend for ourselves a lot of the time.  I went on adventures with the red haired pig-tailed Pippi in my mind, thanks to the public library.

So today we’ve got the internet, ipods, and gaming systems to occupy us.  And, if we wish to read, we’ve got eBooks, the Nook and Kindle.  Recently some of the Borders Books stores closed in my area.  That makes you think, are libraries a dying breed? You might think so if you read this piece in the New York Book Review.  Charles Simic wrote, “All across the United States, large and small cities are closing public libraries or curtailing their hours of operations. Detroit, I read a few days ago, may close all of its branches and Denver half of its own: decisions that will undoubtedly put hundreds of its employees out of work.”  Check out the rest of the article and tell me what you think.  What would a world without libraries be like? How has the library affected your life?  Well, gotta go now and find my library book that’s been missing for the past week and racking up fines.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Find Out What’s So Special About Today

Posted on by
Reply

Today is a special day.  This hour is a special hour.  This moment is a special moment.  Why?  Because you are in it.  You are alive?  You get to breathe and see another day.  You have a mind and that makes you a co-creator in creation.  You have consciousness and you have another beautiful day to mold as you choose.  You’ll appreciate today even more when you realize that everyone doesn’t have that luxury. No matter what challenges you have in life, remember if you are alive you have a chance to fix them.  I just heard from a cousin today who lost her husband of 50 years.   And, even with such a heavy heart, she is choosing to focus on the fact that her soul-mate is no longer suffering and that is giving her the strength to make it to the next hour.

What’s So Special About Today? You Get To See It!

You are not promised today and you are not promised tomorrow either.  One of my father’s favorite quotes was, “It could be better, but it could be worse.”  That quote always puts things into perspective for me, no matter how bad things got.  There will always be things going wrong in your life, but at the same time, there will be things going right too.  We get to choose what we will focus on each moment and consequently what new tracks are being laid down in our subconscious that will become our memories and history.   Do you have sight?  Can you walk?  Can you speak?  Can you smell or touch?  Can you think?  Can you dream?  Can you believe?  Can you appreciate what you have? Today is special because it’s here right now and we get to see it.   You are special too so make today by appreciating and making the most of it.

’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

A Beautiful Example of Unity in Diversity

Posted on by
Reply

This whole conversation on hair began at a dinner when my niece’s fiancee shared how he preferred her natural hair over the relaxed version.  The both of them are a beautiful example of unity in diversity.  It’s so beautiful when someone sees your true beauty and encourages you to be yourself.  I don’t know about you, but if two young lawyers from Georgetown have managed to overcome cultural barriers to instead see the love within another, are respecting each others diversity, giving their wedding gifts to charity, and using their talents for the betterment of humanity, then I say our future is bright.

My future nephew already calls me “Aunt Barbara” and my sister “Mom”.  He shared how he intended to teach their future children about their culture and my niece commented that he knew even more than she did about African-American history.  My niece is a beaming bright light in her own right, kind, generous, outgoing, and radiant with a mature and balanced sense of self.  She and her fiance are in the midst of planning for their September wedding which will have two ceremonies to honor both of their backgrounds.  They shared the Hindi wedding tradition of the couple “giving gifts” to the aunts and asked if I would like a saree or sari.   Of course I said, “Yes!”  I am so excited about the merging of our families and the merging of our cultures.

Unity in Diversity

Some things changed while others stay the same.  For example in marrying my niece he had to break from the Indian tradition of “arranged marriages,” but will keep the tradition of the grandparents playing a big role in the rearing of the children.  In fact his parents shared how they were willing to move wherever the couple settles to be there to take care of the grandchildren.  And, they are not doing it out of a sense of duty and tradition, but one of love, service, and family unity.  Now that’s a lesson in diversity that I hope catches on!

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

A Candid Talk About Our Hair, Identity, and Respect

Posted on by
Reply

Years ago while doing a Diversity training, one of the participants remarked, “If you’d worn that yesterday, I wouldn’t have heard a word you said.” This comment was in response to a simple African hat I was wearing.  I know if I’d actually worn my hair naturally I would have had a greater challenge doing my Diversity work.  I love my hair because black hair is the most versatile hair in the world.  You can braid it, twist it, blow it out, straighten it, curl it, and even dread it.  But we haven’t always had the best products available if we want to keep it natural.   And so, we’ve been dreading how to handle our hair long before Chris Rock’s movie about “Good Hair.”

What does hair mean in this society?  What is considered “good hair” and beautiful, long or short, blond or dark, or straight or curly.  Culturally and historically, what messages have been subconsciously ingrained in us that drive our current views and choices?  Personally I feel badly knowing what I know now about the dangerous chemicals that were in the relaxers that I put onto my daughters’ heads when they were younger. I’ve since learned that the products marketed for young black girls was some of the worst on the market, even if they touted words like “organic.”  To my defense,  I did so under duress and pressure as my husband heard their painful cries as I tried to comb through their thick hair.  They’d be screaming at the top of their lungs, “You’re hurting me,” with tears streaming down their little faces.  It wasn’t a pretty site and it was a horrible experience for them.  Sure it looked good after I finished, but the pain wasn’t worth the gain.  I gave in and I have to admit, it made life easier.  I straightened their hair so that I would not cause them that much pain and to make life easier for me. I am so happy that there are now so many products out there to help us manage our hair. Now, they are used to long straight hair because that’s what they’ve grown up with and who wants to fight their hair every day?

  1. Do you wear your hair natural?
  2. Do you love your natural hair?  Why or Why Not?
  3. Are you treated differently or feel differently if you wear your hair natural?
  4. Who do you get the most positive feedback from?
  5. What about the worse feedback, who does it come from?
  6. How do you feel about natural hair?
  7. What about dreads, how do you feel about them on yourself or others?
  8. What about black people dye their hair blond?
  9. What about other cultures getting dreads?
  10. Tell me what you think about hair?

This concludes our series on hair.  I think it’s great that our hair is so versatile that we can choose a style that fits our desired image.  I can twist mine one day, wear an Afro the next, and have it straight on the third day if I want.  The important thing is to choose what makes you feel the best and not to please others or to “fit in” as many in my generation tried to do.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.