C H A P T E R 16

How to Turn On the Charm

Building Influence Through Real Human Interaction for a Change

WHAT EVER HAPPENED to manners? Every week a handful of my students arrive to class late and disrupt the discussion as they make their way to their seats. Or they come and go during the session to get coffee or food or to use their cell phones. And some come to class unprepared. But MBA candidates behave no more rudely than many executives I encounter in the corporate world. Executives also arrive at meetings late, even when this late arrival could have been avoided. At some board meetings I attend, a few directors invariably haul out their BlackBerries to answer messages and thumb out e-mails. I’ve seen executives and directors take cell-phone ...

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