Out to lunch

Eastbayrider,

Yes I do apply the same rules! It's a good discipline to uphold, and it helps you develop the habit of creating consistent professional behaviors in any environment.

With that said, for me personally, it also depends on how close I am to the boss or the peer. If they are my close friends/co-workers, I do not apply the same rules, but I also don't "let down my guard" totally either. Make sense?

If your boss is like me, I catalog everything in my mind... and I do mean everything. Not so that I can hold any behaviors or actions against anyone in the future, but rather to help myself make well informed decisions as needed. I walk into lunch assuming my boss or peer may be doing the same.

-Davis

With the boss and peers, yes, pretty much.  

Exception:  lunch at the company cafeteria, with peers and/or our directs.  I'll relax a little bit here (like have a burger).  But no soup.   

John  

I'm at a remote site part of the week, and we all eat together at a cafeteria.

Pay attention to who sits with who. Often employees will segregate themselves by job title or some other criteria.

Make sure you rotate between groups when you choose where to sit.  This helps break down the hierarchy, and reinforces what you do with O3s--*everyone* is interesting and of concern to you. 

I spent the last year trying very, very hard not to talk election politics, but that probably goes without saying :)

I'm sure some of this is that virtually every meal I have has work implications, but I generally follow these rules, yes.

And, I teach them to my children when we go out, as well.

If you do these things often enough, it becomes second nature, and you'll never be wrong.

Mark

Davis, as an aside, could you share if you do anything with your catalog?  Do you put pen to paper, make it digital?  And then how do you use it?

*RNTT