When I was eleven years old, the flu collided with Christmas dinner and forever dampened my enthusiasm for holiday food. So, every year I sit back with a glass of wine and watch the mayhem unfold as my multigenerational and multicultural family of cooks and foodies barter and (mostly) good-naturedly bicker over which foods will … Read More
Author: spencercraneadmin
“What Baby?” Navigating Your Colleague’s Pregnancy
“Are you pregnant?” Many moons ago, I blurted those inappropriate words to a colleague as she washed her hands in the office bathroom. As I glanced at her reflection in the mirror, I noticed a tiny bump, and without thinking, I asked if she were pregnant. She smiled and said yes, pleased that I could … Read More
It’s Time to (Office) Party!
It is office holiday party season. Finally, an opportunity to throw off those boring work clothes, forget about those pesky business etiquette rules and let the real you out! Just kidding. (And if you didn’t catch the joke…I highly recommend that you continue reading.) Seriously, have a great time – mingle, laugh and if you … Read More
International Business Travel – Minding Your P’s and Queues
You’ve exchanged countless emails with your global business partner and you’ve followed her social media content. You feel like you know her – you can rattle off her work history for the past 5 years, her good reads, her favorite musical artists and where she vacationed last summer. So when it’s time for a face-to-face … Read More
“Business Casual?! What Does That Mean?”
Ask 5 people to define business casual and you will get 5 different answers. This is the problem with business casual, the rules aren’t clear. Prior to the 1990’s, dressing for the office was easy – you dressed up. Suits and ties for men and pantyhose and makeup for women were all part of the … Read More
The First Rule of Etiquette
The sheriffs and movers who refused to evict 103-year-old Vinia Hall and her 83-year-old daughter from the Atlanta home that they have shared for fifty years understand. They understand that having good manners isn’t always about power handshakes and proper introductions. Sometimes, demonstrating good manners is just about doing the right thing. Yes, being able … Read More
Are Good Manners A Requirement for Business Success?
“Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.” Laurence Sterne As I sat down to write this business etiquette blog for The Estrin Report, I wondered, are good manners a requirement for business success? Not surprisingly, the answer is an unequivocal no. Anyone who has worked in corporate America can effortlessly … Read More