August 31; Humility Takes A Walk
MANAGEMENT BY THE BOOK:
365 Daily Bible Verse &
One-Minute Management Lessons For The Busy Faithful

Chapter Eight: Communication; 31 August

…They like to walk around in flowing robes and

be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,

Mark 12:38b

Beware Salutations

“Isn’t that Stephen Colbert up ahead?” asks Charmaine.

“I think so,” I said. “Quick, let’s get in his frame.”

The Red Carpet

Charmaine and Your Business Professor are on The Red Carpet. Roped off from the unwashed masses as we enter the Washington Hilton for the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Cameras, flashing lights, squeals.

No. Not for us. George Clooney is here somewhere. Probably trying to get in our frame.

We were there for the reception only, courtesy Nation Review Online. But we still got a walk on the red side.

***

There is a practice to Red Carpet Walking™, RCW. It takes years of study as science begets style. But this should be a part of your business etiquette and non-verbal communication.

Remember that as a manager, you, like royalty and celebrities, are always being watched. What the “boss” does and says, his most casual remarks, his habits, even his mannerisms, tend to appear to his subordinates as calculated, planned and meaningful. (Drucker 1954) p 123.

Many events still have a rope (even if red velvet) to keep commoners out of selfie arm range.

Here’s RCW in 7 Steps:

1) Never wear a nametag. Ever see Madonna with badge on her breast? Or anything at all, besides traffic cones?

2) Drop the drink. It may be sparkling water, but looks like scotch and soda. Your board will think you are boozing it up. Or worse — you’re having a good time. And yucking it up with the staff.

Charmaine L,
with writer Christ Buckley
with protruding light pole

3) Look back at your backdrop. Your assistant should handle this, but be aware of what’s behind you. If I had, I would have noticed the light poles growing out of our heads in the pictures. Not cool — even if the light poles were for the tennis courts where Justice Scalia was headed.

4) Delay at the door. This gives the person ahead of you time to clear out. It will also compress your posse behind you, if your entourage is to trail and not enter by the staff entrance. Count to Five. Expectation mounts. Walk in with your head back and smile. They’ve been waiting for you.

5) Stop for the Paparazzi. And cameras. Even fast shutter times might blur. Walk slow. Smile. Again. The cameras never blink, as White House reporter Dan Rather once said.

6) Never wear a coat. Fur yes, but not as outer winter-wear. You are walking only from the car to the door. (It is always “car”—never “limo.”) No need for a coat. And it hassles the staff. You don’t do coat checks.

7) Get in the picture. Now if Maria Bartoloma from FOX is ahead of you, cameras will follow her. Camera equipment, as has been well documented, is carried by lonely, sex-starved men. Photojournalists are like 14-year-old boys, but on the payroll. Get close behind the celebrity, especially if it’s a woman. It makes it difficult to Photoshop you out.

Now you know The Red Carpet. In case your daughter is part of the Academy Awards, or for your blockbuster IPO.

Or if you inadvertently walk through the wrong door.

Like we did.

***

We were lucky that security didn’t wrestle us to the ground. Our mistake reminds us of the necessary humility and poverty of spirit Jesus says we need to make the Real Entrance. Your Business Professor remains a work in progress.

…They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, Mark 12:38b

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