Gene Marks, a certified public accountant, argues that continuing education for professionals should include etiquette training alongside ethics. He cites examples like a venture capital firm offering an "etiquette finishing school" to teach social skills such as dining manners and dressing appropriately. However, Marks emphasizes that true etiquette encompasses broader behaviors like punctuality, respectful communication, and cultural sensitivity in diverse workplaces. He contends that mastering these social norms is crucial for success in today’s multicultural professional environment.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Gene Marks, a certified public accountant, highlights the importance of continuing education in various professions, including his own requirement to earn at least 80 hours every two years. Many other professionals, such as lawyers and healthcare providers, also have similar mandates for ongoing learning.
Marks emphasizes that ethics training is essential but argues it should be supplemented with etiquette classes. One venture capital firm offers an "etiquette finishing school" for startup founders and tech entrepreneurs to learn how to dress appropriately, socialize in professional settings, and handle unfamiliar foods like caviar. The curriculum includes wearing suits for presentations and understanding wine selection.
Marks suggests that while these skills might seem trivial, etiquette is increasingly becoming a critical management skill, beyond just knowing how to eat fish eggs or choose wines. This perspective underscores the evolving nature of business professionalism, integrating cultural and social competence into technical expertise.
Written for “Professional Etiquette Classes” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
As a certified public accountant, I’m required to earn at least 80 hours every two years of continuing professional education credits.
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I → require → credits
Many other professions and trades, including lawyers, healthcare professionals, engineers, electricians, plumbers and certain contractors, have similar requirements.
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professions → include → requirements
It’s a good idea.
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It → ’ → ?
These professional requirements often also include ethics training.
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requirements → include → training
That’s a good idea too.
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That → ’ → ?
But just getting a refresher on ethics isn’t enough.
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getting → get → ethics
Something else is needed – something that’s even more important: etiquette.
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that → need → ?
One venture capital firm is trying to address that problem.
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firm → try → problem
According to a recent story, the firm conducts an “etiquette finishing school” for startup founders and tech entrepreneurs so that they can “learn how to dress and socialize, as well as how to overcome their fear of fish eggs”.
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they → accord → eggs
Among the topics covered are the importance of wearing a suit and tie to a presentation, understanding how to “approach different rooms”, selecting wines and how to eat caviar.
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importance → cover → caviar
While I’m sure this may be important for some, it’s completely valueless for most.
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it → ’m → most
Etiquette goes way beyond fish eggs.
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Etiquette → go → eggs
It’s becoming a critical management skill.
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It → become → ?
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines etiquette as a system of rules and conventions that regulate social and professional behavior.
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that → define → behavior
Etiquette isn’t just about dressing or socializing – or eating caviar.
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Etiquette → dress → caviar
It’s about saying please and thank you.
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It → ’ → you
It’s about being on time for meetings.
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It → ’ → meetings
It’s about putting your phone away when having an in-person conversation and letting another driver merge in front of you in traffic.
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driver → ’ → traffic
Etiquette means keeping your shoes and socks on your feet during a flight and not bringing a smelly food on the plane.
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Etiquette → mean → plane
It’s holding the door for the next person.
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It → hold → person
It’s listening to your music in a public place with earbuds.
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It → listen → earbuds
It’s not commenting on a person’s appearance, skin color or sexual orientation.
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It → comment → appearance
It means understanding and respecting another person’s point of view, regardless of how much you disagree.
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you → mean → view
Etiquette is simply learning how to live and work with people who are different from you.
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who → learn → you
This type of training is needed now more than ever.
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type → need → training
Women make up roughly half the workforce.
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Women → make → workforce
Four generations can find themselves working under the same roof.
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themselves → find → roof
Employees have different religions, sexual orientations, political beliefs and ideas about what constitutes acceptable behavior.
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what → have → behavior
Everybody has their thing.
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Everybody → have → thing
How owners, managers and colleagues respond to someone else’s thing is etiquette.
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respond → respond → thing
For a business to succeed, managers need to not only be versed in their technical requirements, but they have to be skilled at understanding cultures, religious beliefs, political leanings, attitudes, backgrounds and modes of dress.
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they → succeed → dress
A conservative Christian manager needs to know how to respectfully manage a Muslim employee.
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manager → need → employee
A progressive manager needs to know how to respectfully manage a Maga employee.
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manager → need → employee
A 25-year-old needs to work with a 65-year-old – and vice versa.
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old → need → old
This isn’t about making everyone nicer.
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everyone → make → ?
It’s about making people easier to work with … and therefore more productive.
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people → ’ → ?
One big step would be to expand on that VC firm’s “etiquette finishing school” idea.
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step → expand → idea
But to better know how to behave with others who are different.
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who → know → others
And why not start with the millions of professionals in this country who are required to take continuing professional education in order to maintain their business licenses?
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who → start → licenses
But if we’re already forcing professionals to spend dozens of hours in classrooms, I’d happily trade four of them for something that might actually make us better at dealing with one another.
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us → force → one
…and 6 more, not listed.
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