After attending a lecture recently, I waited my turn to talk with the speaker and thank him for such an interesting and informative presentation. I know that hearing good things from attendees after an event means a lot to a presenter (it's immediate feedback and tells us that the time, effort and energy we have put forth in our preparation and delivery is all worthwhile), so I wanted to express my appreciation and let him know I also enjoyed myself (always a plus).
I casually chatted with another attendee who had also stopped to talk with the speaker, and although we were courteously standing a few feet back to allow him to finish his current conversation, it was obvious we were waiting our turn to say hello. Yet as the two finished their conversation and the speaker began to turn our direction, another man walked directly up, front and center, and with a sideways, dismissive glance at the two of us, began his own conversation.
Excuse me? While part of me was immediately taken back to kindergarten where kids have no problem hollering "Hey, no cuts!" to such an interloper, I was more amazed at the man's deliberate rudeness more than anything else. His facial expression had given him away - he knew he was intruding and didn't care, because clearly he was important and therefore took precedence over anyone else. As he immediately began to maneuver his rather stocky body so that his back was to us, his body language only reinforced that is actions were deliberate. He was blocking our view of the speaker and deliberately cutting us out of the way.
What this man did not think about was that we knew who he was. He had spoken up during the presentation, identifying himself by name and company (he is the president), and yes, the company is something of a leader in their industry. However, that doesn't make him any more important than those people waiting (in addition to myself). Interestingly enough, the person I was chatting with is well known in our community and also something of a local leader in his industry. Both men are involved in businesses that revolve around offering people the type of experience that makes them want to return - repeat customers.
I enjoyed my few minutes of conversation with both the person next to me and the speaker, and later that evening I thought about the impact the man's actions had -- I have no interest in patronizing his business in the future. I believe that customer service should start at the top of a company as it has such an impact on both internal (employees) and external customers, and clearly, this company leader didn't get it.
