Reintegrating office etiquette for a harmonious workplace

Taking second place or losing out on a deal can bring up negative feelings, but after placing second in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year contest, author and speaker Amer Iqbal sought feedback, took pride in placing at all and looked at the collective impact of his achievements instead of one incident. "They say comparison is the thief of joy, but if you can look at your losses objectively and are willing to act on the feedback you receive, coming in second place can be just the motivation needed to see what's been holding you back," Iqbal writes.

Put it into practice: Take time to say yes to things that you may not think have immediate value, such as coffee chats or speaking engagements, simply for the experience, Iqbal writes. "Each experience has taught me something new about myself, but the common theme is simple: Business isn't a zero-sum game; there's enough to go around."

Office etiquette is crucial for creating a respectful and collaborative work environment, especially as employees return to physical workspaces postpandemic, writes Gleb Tsipursky, the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts. Many employees, particularly those who started working during remote conditions, need more familiarity with office norms, Tsipursky notes, so managers must work to reset office culture to ensure effective communication and reduce conflicts.

Put it into practice: As a leader, it's up to you to model office etiquette, tailor training sessions to teams and their members and encourage feedback and improvement, Tsipursky writes. "This not only helps in refining the training approach but also makes employees feel valued and involved in the process."

Thinking can often lead to irritation, annoyance, frustration and stress, which can cause us not to want to put forth mental effort, according to research, but Nick Morgan, the president of Public Words Inc., offers another research-backed technique of organizing information into "chapters" as we move from one task or situation to another. "Our ability to remember information can be improved by consciously training ourselves to create new chapters," Morgan writes.

Put it into practice: Environmental changes, such as moving from one room to another, can serve as cues to start new mental "chapters," aiding in memory retention, Morgan notes. Bright lighting further enhances this effect, suggesting that deliberate environmental shifts can improve how we process and remember information.

The unpredictable nature of a safari underscores the importance of flexibility in both travel and business, writes Larry Ackerman, the president of The Identity Circle, who highlights how being agile and having a Plan B can help organizations adapt to unexpected challenges, such as market shifts or operational setbacks, much like changing a flat tire while surrounded by wild animals. "Anticipate the problem. Be agile. Be swift," Ackerman advises.

It's crucial for leaders to role model transparency, says Alessandra da Costa Morrison, an executive coach and mentor at The ExCo Group, and da Costa Morrison shares personal experiences where honesty about career intentions and personal plans impressed colleagues and led to successful outcomes. "If you want openness, you have to be open. And if you want to move from more of a transactional conversation to a more meaningful conversation, then it's up to you to ask the good questions to get there," da Costa Morrison notes.

Air content plays a significant role in distinguishing gelato from ice cream. Ice cream is churned quickly, incorporating more air, which makes it fluffier and lighter. Gelato, on the other hand, is churned more slowly, resulting in less air and a denser, richer texture. This variation in air content is crucial to the overall mouthfeel of these desserts.

As someone who suffers from CRS (Can't Remember Stuff), Nick Morgan's recommendation to use "mental chapters" to improve memory by organizing information into structured segments is beneficial.

Associating places and sensory triggers such as a specific color, scent or sound can make images and information stick much better than rote memorization. I usually listen to podcasts when I walk the dog each day, and when I listen back to a section later, I can distinctly remember where I was on the walk when I heard it. This is what it means to create "chapters." Both the movement of walking and taking in the environment around me helped me recall the information from that section of the podcast.

Another way to use this technique is to develop mnemonics such as acronyms, phrases or rhymes to help you recall information. You can also use subsections, creating smaller topics to make them easier to remember, or develop a mind map of the overarching themes and ideas.

Practice recalling the details using these tools. Repetition solidifies the structure and helps you transfer the information into long-term memory.

As Morgan notes: "Thinking about memory in these ways further suggests that speakers, teachers and leaders can improve the memory of their audiences large and small by providing them chapters of information as  clearly as possible -- in good lighting, of course."

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