I walked into a meeting in a room with an oblong table, eight chairs on each of the long sides and one each at the short sides. I watched the most junior person in the room take a seat at one of the ends. I immediately placed my water bottle and pad of paper in front of a chair in the middle of the long side.

The junior employee smirked at me as the room filled with executives. The Director walks in, looks at junior, and takes the final seat to junior’s left. He says “It seems junior here got wind of my retirement and is bucking for a promotion!”  The Director continued the meeting from the side chair because junior didn’t have the sense God gave a can of paint to realize he committed a major faux paus. He actually grinned the entire meeting feeling like the heir apparent.

Take a look at these 15 meeting etiquette rules every professional needs to know.