LinkedIn Passive Aggressiveness

Last week I faced an awkward situation over LinkedIn messages.

One person (which I won't name) was doing one of the most distasteful things in business etiquette. They wanted to meet without communicating the "why" behind the intent and when questioned about it, replied with a passive-aggressive tone. Arrogance will never work. 

Most people I know in Silicon Valley have in general 5-7 meetings a day, divided into 30 minutes slots and some buffer for longer encounters. I personally divide my schedule into maker and manager schedules. Mornings matter a lot, that's when I meditate, cook, exercise, and tackle the most important task of the day. I don't like morning meetings because they break my flow. 

Fortunately, I am at a point in my career that I can be selective on meetings. The approach of being default to yes was wonderful a couple of years ago. It's not functional anymore.

Think before you send people a note. Ask great questions or explain things like:

• This is who I am
• This is what I am working on
• This is why I would like to meet 
• Date / Time / Method Suggestion 
• Provide a way out and be polite

I work hard to be one of the most responsive people on earth. Sometimes I miss control of my inbox, but it does not take more than 1.5 weeks for me to get back to people.

This specific person was so aggressive and rude when I kept pushing for the answer to these questions that I feel sorry for the ones that actually pay their organization to do some of those distasteful tours of Silicon Valley. Respect and effectiveness are kings.