Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

Are Americans Rude? That’s the question that Ann Michael asked recently over at Manage to Change. The question and Ann’s post,  intrigued me for several reasons.

Ann quoted the June 2006 issue of Harvard Management Update … specifically an article called Trust Makes the Team Go ‘Round, by Judith A. Ross.

She stated: 

“Neale [Margaret Neale, a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor] notes that the e-mail behavior of Americans, who tend to go immediately into the task, often is experienced by people from other cultures as rudeness...””

The post and Ann’s response reminded me that what we say and do shapes the human brain for what we become as communicators. Each time we reply to a post in ways that use good tone online … for instance ... we rewire the brain for using good tone next time.

The opposite is also true. When we speak down to people, criticize or complain… we also rewire for more of these behaviors. Similarly when we hear and observe others acting rudely … we condition more mental dendrite growth for the same.

Rude behavior, as Ann pointed out may comes from a careless culture we have created at work ….

Are we putting people’s needs aside to go after faster profit? Perhaps only when we see people as the highest currency of any firm can we turn around the behaviors than diminish both ourselves and others. I am grateful for the reminder to pause and reflect on this fact.

Do you speak and feel heard where you work? That is likely the first step away from rude communication... and it’s more than people from other cultures asking for more respect….