Just as at home, in the office you should be careful not to sit facing the corner of a square table.
If the sharp edge is aimed immediately at you, harmful energy pointed directly at you will harm you. When there are five people seated at a small square table meant only for four, make sure you do not take the chair that is placed straight facing the corner edge of the table. Hostile energy will cause you to be afflicted for the rest of the day.
When attending an important interview, for a scholarship or a job, or when meeting your supervisor or your boss, you must attempt never to sit facing the edge of the table.
If you do, luck will be against you, and you are unlikely to be successful or get what you want. Always sit facing one of your four good directions.
Some believe that where people sit has a major impact on managerial and team effectiveness. It influences personal friendships, which lead to business relationships; builds stronger team behaviour through collaboration; improves employee retention; and ultimately results in smarter decision-making.
Execs Sit With Execs
Research on the importance of high-functioning executive teams to company performance has been conclusive. Too often, when leaders are asked to name their “team,” they list only their direct reports. Yet the most important team an executive is on is the senior leadership team.
Often, it is the silos between functions that result in a misalignment of company priorities and poor decisions. These silos typically result in a “political” environment where information is shared directly with the CEO rather than between executives. This is why it is critical that leadership team sits together.
Function Over Form
The typical corporate structure calls for people with similar functions to sit together, building relationships with coworkers of similar backgrounds, careers, and interests. Many job functions have a strong basis for reporting into multiple areas, and it often isn’t clear where people should report. The best practice here is that individuals should sit near the function that you want them to collaborate with, not the function that they report into. Sit people outside their reporting function, and barriers between functions will melt away.
Where we sit directly impacts our personal relationships, teamwork, work satisfaction, ability to learn from colleagues, and executive functioning. It matters. Don’t let our office seating chart be like a game of musical chairs.
