So here's the thing.
When does being 'flexible' become being a walkover?
I'm all for relaxed learning environments, informal learning & responsive content delivery - but when did it become OK to lose any sense of professional manners in the classroom?
I've just delivered some classroom based training this week - yes, I do still walk the walk! - and jolly good fun it was too, mostly.
But boy, oh boy did I get frustrated with a couple of delegates.
Let's start with Miss 'I'm too busy for this' shall we?
Endless phone checking/texting/bad time keeping/repeatedly 'popping out to check something urgent' etc.
Frustrating? Oh yes. Disruptive? You betcha.
Then there was Miss 'Not only am I far too busy for this, but I am actually going to ignore you'.
Tablet on the desk in front of the PC she should have been using, actively chatting on Facebook, texting her mates and at one point taking a selfie. A selfie??!!! Good grief.
I kid you not. Let's just say that this behaviour did not continue - and that I had a couple of extra bits of technology in my bag until the end of the course.
I really don't feel that adult professionals should have to be told to put their phones away - but apparently, they do. Which is a bit pathetic really.
Lets just think for a minute about how that presents their personal brand as an employee. Which, in case you hadn't worked it out - is presenting it pretty badly. You see, if this behaviour is OK to them, what is that telling me about their commitment to doing a good job for their employer? The investment that has been made in their learning isn't being respected, so I would pretty much assume they don't respect their employer much either. They may be frustrated at being overlooked for promotion/advancement - but if this is how they present themselves in front of their peers, it's not particularly hard to see why.
Building a strong personal brand isn't just important for entrepreneurs, but it's also important for employees too. It can be the difference between achieving what you want, or having to put up with stuff you don't.
So next time you are thinking about texting, chatting or snapping when you should be focussing on something else, take a step back. How would you respond to someone doing that to you? Do you really have to do it now?
If you are more 'in the moment', you are more receptive to opportunities - and they are more obvious to you too.