Putin Needs to Put His Slippers On
The case of the ‘house slipper’ and its Dr. Jekyl-and-Mr. Hyde effect on Russians
When I opened my version of Best Buy’s Geek Squad in St. Petersburg — it was called “Armia Botanikov” — the first thing I did in our “apartment office” was outlaw house slippers. The 20 “botaniki” or computer technicians, and a friend I appointed to be the general manager, rebelled.
As I explained to them, “Guys, this is work. You aren’t home.” All of them, including my friend, who was an experienced marketer and salesman, complained that because the office was an apartment and not a proper office, they should be able to wear their slippers. I was adamant and told them they could open their own company if they wanted to wear slippers.
What’s wrong with slippers?
Like in many cultures, when Russians enter their home, one of the first things they do is take off their street shoes and put on a pair of comfy slippers. From that moment forward, and I have observed this for decades, everything about their personality changes. They downshift to a lower gear, shaking off the stress of having had to fight to make it home through the busy streets on packed mass transport.
