Are Beards OK in the Office?

Unless you’ve been walking around staring at the floor you’ll have noticed that the beard has made a remarkable comeback as the ‘Hipster Beard’. I was at a funeral last week and of the four men under the age of 35* I was the only one not sporting such a beard. In conversation with one chap I found that his beard required regular pruning and even the application of something called ‘Beard Oil’ to give it extra shine.

It looks like I’ve missed the beard trend, not least because as a baldy with an ample post-Christmas belly, all I’d need is fingerless gloves and I’d look like a fisherman. Furthermore I’m not sure what a wiry ginger beard could do for my appearance.

Once upon a time though I remember working in an office in one of my first jobs. I’d only recently started and so didn’t know the office etiquette surrounding beards. After a couple of day’s growth, producing what is also known as Bumfluff, I was approached by my boss, “Daniel, your facial hair isn’t really appropriate in this office. Please make sure you shave tonight and in future do so daily.” After that I kept a razor and shaving foam in my desk draw just in case.

I then remarked about those chaps who do have beards. “Smart beards are fine, however the growth stage looks scruffy so if you want a beard I suggest you grow one when you next have a holiday of more than a week.” Well and truly told.

So what does a beard say about the wearer?

Well in the past people have associated beards as being scruffy, with some thinking the wearer as being lazy. Some people associate the wearer of a beard as being rough and ready. Beards have been associated with scholarly people such as professors and lecturers and also religious figures. And then there is the designer stubble, which for many is the height of trendiness. With so many people sporting the beard these days they can’t all be a result of laziness can they? As my friend with the beard oil has shown, the work which goes into such beards is highly demanding, not least because one must get through the itching stage.

So what are your thoughts? Is it ok to wear a beard to work in a 21st Century office? Or should beards be banned? And what does the beard say about the wearer?

Thanks for not buying popcorn from my son

(This an article adapted from Mr Trey Tompkins article at linkedin. I was feeding to my regular dosage of Linked in articles when this one struck me.)

If you declined my son's offer to buy popcorn from his Cub Scout Pack yesterday, I owe you one. I'm serious.

I spent yesterday afternoon outside the exit of a local home improvement store with my six year old son and two other father / son pairings from his Cub Scout Pack. They were performing the seasonal ritual of selling popcorn to help raise money for their Pack's activities.

Through their efforts, they raised about $200 in about two hours. That seems to be pretty good production for three elementary school kids.

In watching my son and his friends "work", I was struck most by two different but ultimately related things.

First, many individuals who they talked to seemed so uncomfortable in saying "no". Everyone was very polite and many offered reasons for not handing over money to the kids. However, it was obvious that saying "no" made some of them uncomfortable.

Looking back on it, they needn't have felt any remorse or guilt at all. Those folks were doing my son and his friends a great service in teaching them valuable lessons about sales and achievement.

In sales, no matter how good your cause is (or no matter how cute you are in your little scout uniform) people don't owe you anything. They have to have a reason to want your product or "service". Most people who donated or bought popcorn told the kids that they wanted to support the scouts because they themselves or their children had been scouts. My guess is that they knew the good works that scouting does for kids and it made them feel good to make a small investment in that.

Also, even if someone values your product service, they might not be in a position to buy at that moment. Maybe they aren't carrying cash or they already bought from a kid in their neighborhood. Which leads to my second "aha" observation. Those kids heard a lot of "no" responses and yet they just kept on asking people exiting the store if they would like to support their Pack. They were so excited when someone eventually said yes.

After the Popcorn Sale, I took my son out for a quick dinner at a local restaurant. Over dinner, he told me that selling is hard work because you have to let so many people tell you "no" before you ever get someone to tell you "yes".

If you politely refusing to buy popcorn from him yesterday helped teach him this lesson at age 6, I owe you a debt of gratitude.

Thanks again!