Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Brand Suicide, Business, Comment, Communication Strategy, Context, Metallica, Resonance
Once upon a time, I was invited to a meeting that frankly, I should not have been invited to.
Admittedly I was told I was only there so I could witness the behaviour of the most senior people in the company and I absolutely was not allowed to say a word … but it still was an absolutely ridiculous decision by the company.
Anyway, so I go in and I sit quietly at the back.
After about an hour, a new member of the board started speaking.
To be honest, I was quite taken aback at the tone they were using.
It wasn’t confident, it was down right arrogant … a unique ability to sound condescending, belittling and entitled all at the same time.
It was at this point, the CEO and founder of the company stepped in with words that shut things down in an absolute second.
He looked right at the individual flexing their metaphorical muscles and said:
“You haven’t earned the right to be arrogant and when you have, you will know that’s not the way to behave”.
It was brilliant and embarrassing in equal measure and I had to do all I could not to break out into wild applause.
I say this because a couple of weeks ago, I kind of had another experience like this.
A complete stranger on LinkedIn reached out to me to ask if I worked with Metallica.
When I told them I did, they said – and I quote – “How do I talk to them about my new business idea?
To which I replied:
“You have to find an old lamp & rub it. If a genie comes out, ask them to sort it for you.”
Unsurprisingly they called me a prick, but apart from the fact I am not the bands gatekeeper – I’m much more the bands cat litter tray – why does he think I would respond positively to his unsolicited email?
I’m not asking for subserviency.
I’m not asking for fawning.
But a little politeness would be nice.
Not that it would have changed anything, but I may have actually had a desire to hear what they were thinking and then see if there is someone else they should be talking to.
But no … they went right in as if I owed them something because they were brilliant and that entitled them to my desire to help unconditionally.
If that attitude wouldn’t work on Dragon’s Den/Shark Tank … it sure as shit won’t work via an unsolicited email on LinkedIn to a petty bastard from Nottingham.
I know if you don’t ask, you don’t get, but what some people don’t seem to grasp is asking is very different to demanding.
Seriously, if this is what ‘professionalism’ is on LinkedIn, then I may be the most professional person on that platform and as you all know, that is possibly the scariest proposition of all time.
Talking of professionalism, I’m taking tomorrow and Monday off … and while you may think that is the antithesis of professionalism, I can assure you everyone else’s productivity will be up.
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showing off that famous campbell fucking charm again.
Comment by andy@cynic August 26, 2021 @ 8:12 amHe’s going soft. In the past he would have simply gone straight to the nuclear option.
Comment by Bazza August 26, 2021 @ 8:47 amsoft? the fucker is literally choosing to taunt and play with the peope he wants to destroy before destroying them. thats pol pot standards of prick.
Comment by andy@cynic August 26, 2021 @ 8:52 amThanks for debating what a prick I am. Hahaha.
Comment by Rob August 26, 2021 @ 9:04 amThere’s no debate about it.
Comment by Bazza August 26, 2021 @ 9:08 amwhy the fuck are you going to have holiday when youre in lockdown? what sort of 2 cent planner are you?
Comment by andy@cynic August 26, 2021 @ 8:33 amHow can you be on holiday when you do no work?
Comment by Bazza August 26, 2021 @ 8:43 amgood fucking point.
Comment by andy@cynic August 26, 2021 @ 8:53 amI know …
But it was planned a while ago and whereas previously it was about going away, now we’re in NZ lockdown, it’s about watching Netflix documentaries for 4 days straight. Still a win in my book. Ha.
Comment by Rob August 26, 2021 @ 9:05 amI know the meeting you’re describing.
Comment by George August 26, 2021 @ 8:34 amYes … I bet you do. Haha.
Comment by Rob August 26, 2021 @ 9:05 amLinkedin is the absolute worst.
Comment by George August 26, 2021 @ 8:35 ampeople on linkedin are the fucking worst. linkedin is the second worst. fucking hell, ive turned into fucking doddsy.
Comment by andy@cynic August 26, 2021 @ 8:54 amVery impressive Andrew.
Comment by George August 26, 2021 @ 9:27 amThat is a very LinkedIn thing to have happened on LinkedIn.
Comment by Marcus August 28, 2021 @ 7:26 pm