Don’t Be Intimidated By the “M” Word

While over-preparing for a recent appointment, I received a great piece of advice. My imminent meeting was with a Vice President whom I had never met before and about whom I knew very little. I was able to find a short biography that gave me some hints about their possible character and some facts that didn’t reveal much about their personality. I was left with very little information to prepare me for the likely dynamics of this one-on-one.

Speaker Pelosi meets with Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang

The advice came in the form of a story of regret. The person was very intimidated by a high-level manager and was uncomfortable in their interactions with this superior. When the time came for this person to leave their current position and help find their successor, they didn’t approach this manager about the subject but instead relied on their co-workers to aid in this process. In the end they were very unhappy with the changes that were made after their tenure. Years later after the manager retired, the person heard many accounts of how easy to work with and approachable the presumed-to-be-intimidating manager had been over the years. Had the right conversations taken place and better influences occurred, the changes in the organization might have been more favorable in this person’s eyes. They regretted not taking action based on their presumption about the manager’s character.

This story was stuck in the back of my mind on the day of my meeting and I would daresay that it helped me relax a tad more, worry less about who the credentials of person on the other side of the table, and focus on what was actually happening: a meeting between two people with mutual interests and goals.

The next time you have a crucial meeting, possibly with an intimidating partner or client (or just a person with a mile-long title that barely fits on their business card) try to focus on the issues instead of the person in your preparation and I am positive that you’re more likely to feel good about the meeting afterward.