Warning flags……

One of the harder lessons I learned in life was learning how to "hold fire". When I was much younger, I believed that the truth of ideas and a well thought out argument were sufficient unto itself. The problem is, the working world really does not work that way-especially in a large organization where people do not know each other well. Over the years-through hard won experience-I have developed warning signals. These are little alarm bells that go off in my head telling me, "be careful what you say to this person-until you get to know them a lot better".  At work the objective is to get things done-not to get wrapped up in a conversation that is going to lead you down a rat hole you will later regret. In general you  need the cooperation of other people-if they find out you are just another liberal snake in the grass, it many times makes it hard to do that. Besides in waiting-you can usually hold on to a more devastating reply till its really needed. The list is not all inclusive and your mileage may vary. They in general have worked for me.

 

Thing to wary of #1-Women with hyphenated last names.

I mean really. If a woman likes her maiden name so much, why not keep it? Lots of women do-even if for only to avoid the bother of changing credit cards etc. Or take your husband’s name if you think that is the right thing to do. But trying to split the baby down the middle by not choosing is just absurd.  Accordingly, it is generally a good bet that when you run into a woman with a hyphenated name, there is a thumb worn copy of a Gloria Steinem book in or around her night stand. Feminism is lurking close by-so play it smart and keep your mouth more or less shut.

Thing to be wary of #2– People who home school their kids.

When you hear a person talking about that, again , its a good idea to tread carefully in any conversation that does not exclusively pertain to working matters. This is not to debate the merits pro or con of home schooling, but anyone who is of a mind to put in that much work ( because if its done right-it is a lot of work for one or both parents)-it usually means they may be passionate about other things. Conservatively passionate and / or devoutly religious. Tread carefully.

Thing to be wary of #3– Conversations that start out, " I was just reading on Drudge." DANGER WILL ROBINSON! There are a lot of good news aggregators out there-Drudge is not one of them. Chances of the names Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, or Hannity coming up in conversation have just gone up drastically. Change the subject to pro-football fast.

Thing to be wary of #4– People who have PHD’s but are not MD’s insisting on being called "Doctor"-and you are not working at a University-that’s probably another sign to be careful.  Worked with a guy once who insisted on introducing himself as Dr.XXXX.  Yea, yea you have a PHD. So  how come you got laid off last year?

Thing to be wary of #5– People who treat secretaries and administrative assistants like sh*t.  Or demand that they do every last little thing when it comes to travel. In general that’s a sign of someone who is status conscious and that generally transfers over into other relationships-e.g. they won’t do anything about what you need until someone senior to them asks. That’s not always true-but if the first thing you see or hear about a person is how they interact with the lady or the man answering their phone-I’m not prone to take it as a good sign.

Thing to be wary of #6– People who love to repeat their resume, well after you have first met them or gotten to know them for a bit. I’m not talking about someone who tells a good sea story-I’m talking about someone who talks about what their position in another organization was over and over again. If they are senior to you, its best to be polite and move on quickly to another topic.

Thing to be wary of #7– A local problem for some people. Alabama football fans. When you see big Roll Tide stickers all over their cube, be careful. You don’t want to blurt out "Go Vols" at just the wrong moment.

Thing to be wary of #8-Would not have thought of this till last year. People who say they love Sarah Palin. Chances are that attitude reflects over into other parts of their life. Especially now that she is shilling for Glen Beck. There is no arguing with a Sarah Palin fan-victimhood is their common trait. Go over their head and get them in trouble with their boss-its far more effective-and fun.