By Martin Cooper Last week I was called a curmudgeon. It’s probably true. My good friend from England, Alan Capper, who now lives in and loves New York, says that the best thing about America is that people here succeed in business based on their abilities and other attributes, while in the U.K., success is still based on one’s class. He calls it our American meritocracy. He’s probably right, but I’m afraid we’ve created a classless society with no class. While words like “style,” “class,” “elegance,” and, yes, even “panache,” are open to personal interpretation; they seem to have decreasing importance to most of us. In our frantic rush to multi-task our way through life, our decreasing concern for the feelings of others, and our win-at-any-cost approach to business and personal matters, we have nearly lost sight of what used to be called “the niceties of life.” Driving around Our Valley may be the most obvious example. It will come as no revelation that we all believe that drivers are less considerate of each other. Obviously, Detroit (remember when “Detroit” used to mean the entire auto industry?) doesn’t provide directional signals any more. They are so rarely employed they must be an expensive option on most cars. Stop signs are merely suggestions. Changing lanes is a game of “chicken.” Heading east on the Ventura Freeway toward either Hollywood or Pasadena? Better get in the correct lane by Laurel Canyon, because it’s a rare driver who will let you into one of the two left lanes if you’re headed toward the San Gabriel Valley. Being the old-fashioned person I am, I once opened the door of my car for a female business associate with whom I was driving to a business meeting. “You don’t have to open the door for me; I’m not broken,” she commented just a bit haughtily. “I didn’t open the door for you because I thought you were broken I opened the door for you because I thought you were a lady,” I cleverly and rudely responded. I guess on that occasion neither of us showed much class. And of course, the Fickle Finger of Fate used to refer to a skit on the old television show, “Laugh-In.” Now it’s changed to the middle finger. So, as a public service, I have decided to provide a six-question self-administered quiz to help each reader of the Business Journal determine how much class he or she actually has. Here goes Do you write thank you notes on appropriate occasions? Never no points Occasionally 1 Frequently 2 How do you send thank you notes? E-mail 1 Typed 2 Handwritten 3 When dining at Brandywine or Pinot Bistro, what type of clothing do you wear (using men’s clothing as a gauge)? Jeans and a T-shirt 0 Slacks and a jacket/open-neck shirt 1 Tie and jacket 2 When you’ve been asked to RSVP on an invitation to a business or social event, do you? RSVP “yes” but if something better comes along, don’t show up, or call 0 Don’t RSVP but show up 0 RSVP but show up late 1 RSVP and arrive on time 3 In most business meetings, do you? Text message or read emails 0 Talk too much 1 Interrupt others 1 Feel that you have to say something about every topic 1 What do you do with your cell phone during a business meeting? Leave it on ring and take a long call 0 Set it on silent/vibrate 1 Turn it off 2 Now add up your points and see how much class you have. In 2003, Pepperdine’s Graziadio Business School Journal interviewed Galpin Motors scion Bert Boeckmann, and quoted him as saying: “The people I have known who are really successful in the true meaning of the word have always tended to fit into the mold of honesty and integrity that we would call ethics today. Their basic integrity is not just measured in dollars, but is measured by their families, their friends, and their whole lives.” The next time you’re in a business or social situation with Bert or Jane Boeckmann watch how they treat other people with unfailing courtesy and respect. Those are people with class. Then watch how some people chairing a meeting use their positions to sprinkle snide, or even near-rude comments, among those whose points of view they don’t share. Those are not people with class. Maybe more of us need to go to the head of the class. “What is lacking here is charm and taste.” Fr & #233;d & #233;ric-Auguste Bartholdi French designer and sculptor of the Statue of Liberty (referring to the United States) Martin Cooper is President of Cooper Communications, Inc., marketing and strategic planning. He is the Immediate Past Chairman of VICA; Past President of the Public Relations Society of America-Los Angeles Chapter and of the Encino Chamber of Commerce; President of the Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission; and a member of the Los Angeles Business Retention and Attraction Task Force. He can be reached at [email protected].