Story about communication: When a manager acts before he thinks

One busy morning at the headquarters of a large company, the manager, Mr. Robertson was making his usual rounds when he noticed a new employee working at one of the desks. Wanting to establish authority early on, he instructed his secretary to call the new employee to his office. A few minutes later, the new hire stepped into the manager’s office. Mr. Robertson gestured for him to sit while he pretended to be deeply focused on a stack of documents. He believed that making employees wait, even briefly, established his position as someone important and in control. After a deliberate pause, Mr. Robertson finally looked up, his expression serious, and asked in a firm tone, “What’s your name?” The young man, eager to make a good impression, smiled politely and answered, “John.” Mr. Robertson’s scowl deepened. “Look, I don’t know what kind of place you worked before, but I don’t call anyone by their first name. It breeds familiarity, and that leads to a breakdown in authority.” He then gestured toward the open office space beyond his door, pointing out different employees. “You see, that’s Smith, there is Jones, and next to him is Baker. Everyone here is addressed by their last name. And I, in turn, am to be referred to only as Mr. Robertson. Do you understand?”

John, taken aback by the stern lecture over something as simple as a name, nodded respectfully, not wanting to start his new job on the wrong foot. He had never encountered a rule like this before, but he wasn’t about to argue with his boss on his first day. Mr. Robertson, satisfied that his authority had been established, leaned forward and continued with an even more serious expression. “Now that we got that straight, what is your last name?” John hesitated for a moment before responding, “Darling. My name is John Darling, Mr. Robertson. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect.” A brief silence filled the room. Mr. Robertson blinked, his lips pressing together as he processed the unfortunate irony of his rigid naming rule. He quickly looked down at his documents, trying to hide his reaction. After a moment, without lifting his head, he spoke again, but this time, his tone had softened. “Okay, John, the next thing I want to tell you is…” From that day forward, something unexpected happened, Mr. Robertson found himself calling John by his first name. And then, as time went on, he started doing the same with Smith, Jones, Baker, and everyone else. What he had once seen as a threat to his authority, he began to recognize as something entirely different. Instead of creating disorder, addressing employees by their first names built trust made interactions friendlier, and fostered a sense of teamwork. Employees no longer felt like just another last name in a rigid system, they felt like people who mattered. It was a small change, but it transformed the work environment in ways Mr. Robertson had never anticipated. And all because of a simple, unexpected lesson from John Darling.