JOHN BALDONI
One thing that can befuddle even the most experienced managers is how to make small talk with those higher up on the corporate ladder.
When this means someone who has authority over you, no matter whether it’s your boss’s boss or the CEO, the word „small” becomes relative. Any mistake can have a big impact. Conversation with a superior can be fraught with peril, but it can also be a great opportunity. Peril surfaces when you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing; opportunity arises because you can reveal a new dimension of yourself to others.
You can increase the odds of success if you prepare. Yes, it’s often best to actually plan out what you will say to the senior manager. This works well if you know that the CEO is coming to visit your department or that you might chat with him at an all-employee gathering. So, let’s look at ways of improving the odds.
+ DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Be familiar with the issues on which the senior team is focused. Ideally, everyone in the company should know the strategic priorities. Prepare so that you know them, too. Think about what you will say to a senior manager you may meet in person. Work out a key message about your projects, your career and yourself. This is good practice whether or not you meet a higher-level employee. Finally, if it’s more of a social gathering, try to learn about the boss’s personal interests – hobbies, favorite sports or any volunteer activities.
+ BE YOURSELF
When you are introduced to a senior manager, make eye contact as you shake hands. Smile and act relaxed. Feel free to ask questions about what’s going on in the company. If appropriate, talk about what you are working on. This is your opportunity to convey your messages. Strive to be succinct.
+ READ THE SITUATION
Keep speaking if the boss is interested; if not, thank the person for his time and move on, even when you didn’t get the opportunity to incorporate your key messages into your discussion. In some ways your sense of decorum is more important than what you say. Rattling on when no one is interested suggests you lack self-awareness, whereas knowing when to end the conversation says a lot about your ability to read the situation.
Such preparation is good when you know you’ll meet a senior executive or a member of the board, but what about accidental encounters, say at the airport, a social gathering or even a sporting event? Ultimately, what works for prepared encounters also works for impromptu ones. Just assume that someday you will run into a senior supervisor and prepare for it as you would for a more predictable encounter.
Because this kind of preparation also pays off in other contexts – for example, team meetings or conversations with clients – you should occasionally practice your key messages, perhaps on your drive to work. You might even record yourself as you practice so you can hear how you sound. The exercise will give you confidence that you have what it takes to conduct clear and coherent conversations with people in power.
One of my favorite stories about Winston Churchill recalls an encounter he had with a young New Zealand airman during World War II. The airman had crawled out of the cockpit of a bomber with an engine on fire and extinguished the flames. Upon meeting the young man, Churchill noted the lad’s nervousness. „You must feel very humble and awkward in my presence.” When the man said he was, Churchill replied, „Then you can imagine how awkward and humble I feel in yours.”
Never forget that senior leaders are people first and executives second. Never forget your own personal abilities. And never forget that making small talk can have a big impact on your career.
(John Baldoni, a leadership consultant, coach and speaker, is the author of „Lead Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing Up.”)
Harvard Management or Harvard Business: © (2010) Harvard Business Review Publishing/ Distributed by New York Times Syndicate.