Top 5 Bay Area Etiquette Rules for Law/Business

The Bay Area legal and business community values brevity, responsiveness, and cooperation. An international diplomat/entrepreneur who now works in Silicon Valley posted a great piece on rules he observed here. Five in particular are worth reviewing:

1. Be on time (and in fact be 3-4 minutes early). If you aren’t on time, you signal disorganization, disrespect, and untrustworthiness. If you are going to 1-10 minutes late, text at least 20 minutes before that you will be X minutes late with apologies. If you are going to be more than 10 minutes late, ask if you need to reschedule.
2. Return emails the same day or at least within 24 hours. This rate signals you are fast and on top of things, and you are making the other person feel important.
3. Introductions must offer something to everyone involved and are opt-in only. There are two scenarios that work: (i) If A wants to introduce B to C, then A separately asks B and C if it’s ok before making the intro. (ii) If A asks B to get introduced to C, then A needs to get B’s consent and to send B the context and a draft email for the introduction. If you want an introduction, know that your request may well be turned down.
4. Be helpful to others. “Good Karma … is the essence of Silicon Valley’s culture… If you do something good, something good will happen to you.” So thank people who help you. If someone made an intro or gave you info, send them an email to update them. If they tried to help and didn’t go anywhere, thank them anyway! Try to help others.
5. Request the right amount of time. There are 3 types of meetings: (i) a 15 minute call (e.g., to introduce yourself or give context for a future meeting), (ii) 30 minute in-person meeting, and (iii) 60 minute in-person meeting. Ask for the appropriate amount of time. Don’t ask for 30 or 60 minutes if you can do it in 15.