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While Natalie Davis’ article on building rapport is intended to help those in sales roles increase their inbound efforts, rapport building is a helpful skill for anyone in the corporate world and especially for those aiming at becoming Engaging Executives. How did Davis’ advice fit into the Engaging Executive Programme and lifestyle? Let’s take a look.

You likely could rattle off a list of your strengths and weaknesses. After all, you’ve been asked this question in every job interview and likely know it by heart. You’re good at maths, budgets, analysis, project management, etc. Your development needs may be around people management, client communication and so on.

For some people, there’s nothing worse than those first five minutes of an interaction with a new person. What do you say? What do you do? Especially if you’re not in a business setting, where you at least have a business purpose in common, you can come up with a loss for words. You’ll never make a great impression that way!

One thing that’s driven into us from childhood is the mantra to “just be yourself.” Maybe this is why, when I’m teaching many of my clients new behaviours meant to help them along their path to becoming an Engaging Executive, they’ll stop and say, “I don’t know if this is right. This doesn’t feel very authentic.”

What are your thoughts on networking events? Do you hate them? Love them? If you’re the type who dreads networking events with a passion, and finds yourself not getting that much (if anything) out of them, my latest workshop could be for you.

Have you ever showed up late to a networking event and experienced that initial burst of panic? All of the sudden, you don’t have an upper hand. Everyone’s already paired off, talking in groups, and you’re the odd man or woman out.

Take a tip from my Amazon best-selling book, Engage (which you can find on my website). This simple technique is called “Two’s a Company, Three’s a Networking Opportunity.”

Need any easy way to take advantage of those dreaded networking events? Take this incredibly easy tip from my bestselling book, Engage.

Yes, I know, networking events, for some people, particularly if you’re introverted, can be detestable. You dread them. You try to get out of them in any way possible. However, like it or not, they’re useful to your career. So you go, suffer through a bit of awkward small talk and then leave, wondering how useful that wasted two hours of your life actually was.

Trying to better make connections and take advantage of networking events or even social occasions? Knowing the difference between the direct and indirect approaches to social engagements can really help you get the most out of these opportunities, particularly if you struggle in this area.

Have you been passed over for a promotion at work? Maybe one of your colleagues went out of their way for another individual, when they’ve never lifted a finger to help you. Perhaps you feel you’re just, overall, getting the short end of the stick.

Instead of blaming your coworkers, colleagues and bosses, take an inward look. People do more for the people they like. Do people like you?

I’ve often been asked, so what is it exactly that you do at The Engaging Executive? It’s pretty simple.

I’m on a mission to put the importance of people back in the workplace. With so much of today’s success driven by data and deadlines, we are losing the ability to connect, spending more time with our screens than face to face. I believe, however, a true leader is someone who has the talent and a clear vision for their organisation, but also the ability to connect with, inspire and develop their employees.