As a customer, have you ever been ignored by a manager or owner who knows you? I believe these leaders have no clue as to how arrogant they appear or how one simple change in their behavior could make all the difference.

What is that one behavior?  Great question......

Warmly,

"Be somebody who makes everyone feel like a somebody."

Hp lyrikz.com

If you are a leader, manager, director, CEO or any other title that holds positional power over others, you must learn the art of saying "hello" first. This may seem petty or unimportant given the great responsibilities of a leader but I would argue this small act is one of the more subtle but significant actions of an effective leader.

Recently, I observed the Executive Director of a nonprofit in my hometown walk by one of his customers without acknowledging them. This did not happen just once, twice or three times but five times on different occasions. The Director may have been lost in thought or had a difficult situation distract him the first few times he passed, but the third, fourth and fifth time was inexcusable.

The Director was sending a very clear message to his customer by his inaction and that message was, "You are not important. I have more important things to do than to acknowledge you because I am so important."

If you are going to accept the responsibility of leading others, you must accept the responsibility of showing you care by initiating a greeting. I am not suggesting you start a full length conversation with your customer every time you see them, although much could be gained from this interaction. I am suggesting you that you say hello first to show how important the customer is in the daily life of your leadership.

So, how can you quickly gain this skill?

• Stop keeping score. As a leader, you may be keeping track of how many times you have greeted someone first versus them but this is a recipe for failure. Don't think too hard or overanalyze the situation...simply say hello first.

• Practice makes perfect. It may feel awkward at first but start with family and friends to get over the strange feeling. Practice giving yourself eye contact and saying hello in front of a mirror until it becomes second nature.

• Observer others that do this well. Watch how other leaders do this naturally by gesturing with a warm smile, eye contact and a friendly hello to those that pass by them.

Question for You:

What if you find yourself too shy to do this? What if you supervise someone who should be acknowledging their staff and customers with a greeting? What if you simply were unaware of how important this simple gesture could be?

Action for You:

As someone who leads other or wants to lead others, you must develop your interpersonal skills and have the desire to grow and learn from how you appear to others. One way to do this is ask your direct reports to give you feedback on your interpersonal skills. Another way would be to send an electronic survey to your staff and customers at least once a year to find out how you can lead more effectively. These two ideas take great courage but will yield the best information for you to improve your interpersonal skills.
 

"Effort is attractive."

Author Unknown