Page 151 - Free Yourself From

134 It’s Not a Glass Ceiling, It’s a Sticky Floor

team. As luck would have it, there was one other person on that
flight, and it was our CEO. We both exchanged a few pleasantries,
but beyond that I had no idea what else to say to him. But I had a
flashback to my childhood and my entrepreneur father coming home
from the office. One day I said to him, “You seem tired. How was
your day?” He said, “You know, no one ever asks me how my day
was.” And he began to open up and talk about the frustrations and
issues on the top of his mind. We connected in a new way and I began
to understand and respect his many roles as a businessman.
So I asked my CEO what was on his plate these days and what
was keeping him up at night? He smiled, and then to my surprise he
shared some of his inner thoughts, hopes, and challenges. This con-
nected us on a whole new level and hearing his perspective on the
company encouraged me to talk to him about a major reorganiza-
tion I was working on that he had a keen interest in—and I was able
to present my side of the conversation in terms of his concerns and
priorities.
This is still my way of connecting with people on their own
ground—by asking questions, finding out where the other person is
at that moment, and framing the conversation in a way I know they’ll
respond to.

Four Minutes

I once read that you either connect with a person or don’t within
the first four minutes of when you meet them. It only takes them
that long to decide if they want to stay engaged with you or move
on. Moreover, this is even true for people you know well! Here are
a few tips for being instantly engaging: