Dave Lorenzo at Career Intensity talks about a scene he recently witnessed at his office.  A group of clients visited company headquarters for a day, but during the scheduled meetings parties on both sides spent much of the time typing on their Blackberries.  

Says Dave:  “If you were a company employee and you invited a client over to the office, why wouldn’t you spend as much time as possible talking to that person?  If you are the client and you accepted the invitation why wouldn’t you set aside any and all distractions and focus on the reason you came to the meeting?  The entire time I was observing this disturbing scene I was thinking: “Why can’t you check your e-mail after the meeting?  Are you really that important?  Does someone need to contact you during the 3–hour window when you are with a client?”

I’m so glad Dave brought this up, because I too have noticed that levels of accepted rudeness in Corporate America have increased as mobile device technology has improved.  A few years ago, I considered it insulting for a colleague to excuse himself during a one-on-one meeting to answer a phone call.  Today, though, people’s pervasive Crack-berry addictions often leave you literally talking to yourself in a meeting full of people.

If you want to build positive workplace relationships, you have to be the exception here.  Make a habit of being present for every person you deal with – not just physically present, but mentally present.  This means actually listening to what he is saying, focusing on him rather than everything else going on in the room and ignoring the inevitable interruptions from your Blackberry or cell phone.  Remember that this person’s time is important too and give her your full attention.  Doing this will set you apart from the scores of employees who believe that sitting across the desk from another person means you’re communicating.