Page 24 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

FIRST, UNDERSTAND YOUR AUDIENCE 15

THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING HONEST

If Instinct Man is the gatekeeper—and we know he is always hover-

ing out there somewhere with his finger perpetually poised over the
“Reject” button—then how do we get him to like us?
If you are worried you may have no charisma, don’t give it a
second thought. Charisma is not the issue; in business, likability is
the issue. Likability does not depend on charisma. In fact, there is
often no correlation between the two. What I call business likability
is the critical screening or checkpoint we all have to pass before
people will actually buy our ideas. Likability begins with honesty.
So trying to relax and be genuine and truthful with your audi-
ence is a good place to start. People expect us to be no different on
stage or at the conference table than when we are chatting with them
backstage or in the corridors at work. Steve Jobs understands this.
Ask yourself, what is it about you that people seem to respond
to? Your straightforwardness? Your humor? Your candor? Your
thoughtfulness? Your gentle nature? Your insight? Your passion?
These are all real and bankable assets. Whatever assets you bring to
the table, be sure to exploit them. In the end, it all comes down to
just being yourself.
The best way to be yourself is engage in what I call barroom talk.
I’m not suggesting you behave like a boozer. I’m just suggesting you
imagine yourself in a comfortable situation with friends over a beer
in a bar, and imagine trying to enlist them to see things your way on
a particular issue or idea. If you feel passion, show it. If you don’t,
don’t try to act as if you do.
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Before people will buy your service or your product,

they’ve got to first buy you.
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