Impactful Inclusion Toolkit

ACTIVITY 21Practice Common Courtesy

“The truest form of love is how you behave toward someone, not how you feel about them.”

—Steve Hall

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What comes to mind when you think of common courtesy? Perhaps you were raised in a household that taught the importance of saying please, thank you, and sorry. Other words to live by may have included respect your elders, speak when spoken to, and hold or open a door for the next person. Maybe you were raised to treat all with dignity and respect. It could be that for you, common courtesy means treating people the way you would want to be treated. As adults, we don't hear as much about common courtesy as we did growing up. In the workplace, common courtesy is a must-have and extends itself to professional courtesy. Common courtesy demonstrates acts of kindness on a human level as mentioned in the aforementioned examples, while professional courtesy demonstrates acts of mutual respect for co-workers. It comes across in many ways to include being attentive in meetings, waiting for your turn to speak in conversations, and giving credit where credit is due. We should practice common and professional courtesy as they symbolize respect. Respect is one of the most critical factors in the workplace as it supports an environment of collaboration whereby teams can accomplish goals together, regardless of how they feel about one another. However, being kind and polite to others doesn't diminish us in the workplace, but rather bolsters our reputation ...