The path to being an office jerk is a journey, not a light switch. Office jerks are among us from all walks of life: our managers, teammates, subordinates, vendors, and customers. Unfortunately, their jerkiness goes unnoticed for years, and the disease spreads like a virus. Not only affecting them, but everyone they come in contact with. It's so vile that no doctor, manager, or company policy can diagnose it. Many managers even have this illness themselves. If you do or have done any of the following, consider yourself a jerk. or a digital marketing expert.
Didn't give a tip – Your partners and team members deserve bonuses and are paid on time. They are the waiters at the restaurant, and you’re the customer. If someone has waited on you hand and foot for any period, they deserve some compensation. Yes, how much compensation depends on the job they did, but they deserve something as long as they don't hurt you in some way. If anything, the basic tip for poor service represents who you are: a decent person who understands that even lousy service is still service. Assume that behind the service provider is someone with a family. Remember, the only part of the reason why they are getting you mozzarella sticks is because they love you. The other part is because they need the money.
Taken valet parking at a shopping mall - Valet parking at airports and sporting events is all fine and dandy. But a shopping mall? Come on, office jerks. Unless that five-minute trek from your car to the Macy's involves a walk on fire, I think you can manage and probably benefit from the incidental exercise. You're going to a shopping mall. Chances are you’re not there on a strict schedule. Do you need the VIP treatment for your loosely-structured suburban loitering?
Glared at a baby on a flight – Office jerks travel often. Chances are you're a jerk if you’ve glared at a young mom trying in vain to soothe her child on one of their first flights. You were a kid once before you became an annual contender for Time Magazine's Jerk of the Year award. Unless your glares can reduce air pressure, they don't make the ride for kids any less turbulent. What do you care anyway? Don't you have a pair of noise-canceling headphones? Drown out those cries listening to the Jerky Boys soundtrack…it’s a great album that also happens to be named after you. This person probably also calls himself a thought leader on LinkedIn.
Keep down someone weaker than you – Some business jerks enjoy stepping on others. They politically don’t support their ideas, pass them over for promotions, and deliberately forego helping them achieve their personal goals, even if beneficial to the company. All out of spite. That’s the office equivalent of hitting a kid. We can all agree that’s grounds for yelling jerk-alert in the hallways.
I haven't helped anyone today. Everywhere you go in the office, there are people you can help. If you turned a blind eye to a poor person (an intern asking for some advice), didn't thank someone for helping you with something ((took credit for a job you didn’t do)) or didn’t make someone's day better (compliment anyone) then you're a jerk. Think about your resources, your knowledge, or the people you know. Helping other people and paying things forward enables you to get ahead.
The good thing is that the onset of office jerkiness can be cured with a few basic things: humility, generosity, and goodwill. Consult a recovering jerk or jerk-free person in your office (assuming there is one) if you match any of the symptoms described above and then setup a jerk intervention.
Let’s help you see where your digital marketing stacks up to the jerks you compete with.
