Raj wasn’t exactly like Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall. But he was once somewhat famous in certain circles for his own legendary fall — or rather, his dinner’s very public fall — into the bosses lap one evening.
Picture the scene: Raj was an eager new employee lucky enough to land a seat at the table with the executive vice president at a company party. The executive was slightly less lucky. He was the recipient of an unexpected gift: Raj’s steak in his lap.
While attempting to cut off a bite, Raj inadvertently sent the steak – and the contents of his plate – flying. This caused quite a stir and soon, all 500 pairs of eyes at the party fixed upon Raj.
Raj’s debut performance thrust him into the limelight at work. He became an instant celebrity. The nickname “T-Bone” stuck to him from that point forward. Ten years later you still might catch him answering to it.
Why did a little mishap gain so much attention? It was Raj’s response to the mishap, far more than the incident itself, that shocked his American audience.
In American Culture, You Must Pick Up
Raj couldn’t undo the damage to his boss’s suit, but he could have spared himself some major embarrassment had he done things differently. Raj didn’t react nor apologize, much to the surprise of his victim. According to Raj’s critics, this non-response was the worst response of all.
Workers in America are expected to be self-sufficient at all times, from making our own photocopies, to cleaning our own dishes in the lunch room and, yes, cleaning up our own spills! Otherwise, we get typecast as elitist, and that’s a role that’s very hard to shed.
As for our our hero Raj, he learned from his early missteps and has put these experiences far behind him. His thriving career has now taken him to great heights (he works in a really, really tall office building).
So spring into action, the next time you have an opportunity to tackle one of life’s humbling tasks. Because you never know, once you begin to fend for yourself, you may eventually find the change empowering — in work and in life. And that will lead to rave reviews.
