August 22, 2023
by Stephen T. Messenger
It’s the busy season for visitors at my work, and we’ve had a lot. After giving my eighth tour of the installation, I got back to the office and sarcastically said, “No more VIPs.”
“Actually,” one of my co-workers chided me, “I feel like you would say everyone you talk to is an important person, whether they’re here for the day or work here all the time.”
He got me! I couldn’t agree more. Do we treat people different based on status or position? Sometimes we clean, focus, and seek results more with VIPs. Instead, we should be doing this for every encounter.
Never Clean for Visitors
I worked for a Fortune 500 Company many years ago and one of their (many) mantras was, “Never clean for visitors.” The point was not to avoid picking up the place—quite the opposite. It was to remind us that we should be keeping a tidy house for ourselves. We’re the ones that see it every day, so let’s make it look good for us.
Many organizations get wrapped up in impressing visitors, and they forget it’s the people there that truly matter.
When a VIP shows up, we roll out the red carpet, put on our best, and go all-out to make a great impression. We should be doing this for our people as well.
I had a former four-star general boss who used to wear his dress blue, military uniform, as opposed to everyday camouflage, when he held large townhall-like meetings. He would say he wanted to wear his best to honor their incredible efforts. He knew where to put his energy—his people.
Focus Communication
When VIPs show up, we often give them our undivided attention. Yet when we talk to others, many times we’re distracted thinking about other things and aren’t fully invested in the conversation.
Bill Clinton is legendary for making others feel like the most important person in the room. Even as the president, he gave people his undivided attention and was eager to engage with others. He has an uncanny ability to connect on a personal level and drown everything else out.
Clinton mastered the skill of actually listening to people. While seemingly a no-brainer, most of us struggle with giving our undivided attention to one person. People know when you’re truly listening to them, and if you are, they love it.
It’s not enough to pretend to listen. Look people in the eye, push away all other distractions, and listen with empathy and an inquisitive spirit. Every time. Every person. This is a game changer.
Generate Effects
When visitors arrive, both sides usually have an agenda. They want to see you and most likely have specific questions keyed up. You want to leverage their position to further your agenda. Both sides win.
With people in your organization, it’s the same thing. Every encounter should generate effects. A lot of the time, that effect is thanking others, valuing your people, and connecting with them. And if that’s the only effect, it’s a win.
But often there’s more. Don’t forget that every conversation is a chance to make your organization a little better. Whether it’s inspiring, providing intent, driving change, communicating narratives, correcting behaviors, or a host of other goals, don’t forget to understand and develop the core reason you’re meeting with a specific person or group.
Generating effects is a cornerstone of leadership. Your job is to move the ball forward, and you can do that better if you capitalize on every encounter.
Everyone Is a VIP
Planning for visitors is not just for… well, visitors. It’s for everyone on your team. Clean up for yourselves, use focused communication, and think about outcomes when you visit with your people.
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