What fun! Today, I revamped my blog with a new format, added our company logo and a link to YouTube. It was great to change up the look of my blog to be similar to my company. I like it - it's clean and easy to read.
Dave has been on YouTube for a while and this week I joined him asking questions. It was totally off the cuff, no rehersal and no script - you'll see that is very evident! So check us out on the daveankenbrandt channel on YouTube. Dave has lots to say on career, how to find a job, what jobs are hot etc.
What’s in a handshake? Should it be wet noodle, limp fish, or an iron grip? Is there a happy medium for a good handshake? Of course there is. When shaking hands, you are portraying your self-confidence, friendship, power, status, and self-worth. Your handshake says a lot about you. Make it firm but don’t squeeze the life out of the hand you are shaking. A good handshake bridges the gap between you and the other person. It should be a warm greeting, not a power play or an intimidation factor.
- Your handshake should be firm but gentle. Men -- firm does not mean squeeze the hand like it’s in a vice grip.
- Palms should touch, but not be compressed together. Again, don’t flatten out their hand until they are saying ouch.
- If you have sweaty palm syndrome, wipe your palms in your suit jacket/pants pockets, casually, before you shake hands. You can keep a dry Kleenex in your pockets to help dry your hands.
- The encounter should be long enough to make contact but not too long, usually two or three quick shakes or a quick count to three.
Shaking hands is a salutation, treat it as such. First impressions do matter – the handshake, the polished shoes, the clean shirt, well groomed hands. Make sure your handshake is part of the package that makes a great first impression.
Interesting coincidence happened to me this week. I ran into two different people with very similar backgrounds. Both of these people, “Fred and Ted”, had finance and operations experience and also their JD’s. They each have a combination of finance, strategy, marketing, operations and law.
Fred made a career out of his finance/JD background by assisting running companies as the COO/CFO. Ted did a lot of VP Marketing/Operations work and just got his JD. It was nice to be able to tell Ted he doesn’t have to pick one thing. You just might be able to “combo pak” it.
If you are out there searching for something to do to make work more interesting why not be more like Fred and Ted and combine some of your skills in order to venture into new areas? I think it is very viable way to jump out of the preverbal “box” and take another direction.
Oh, and also Fred and Ted, it was nice to meet you this week. I always enjoy talking to very bright and interesting people who are doing what they love but are also pushing the envelope. And yes, I think I’ve been reading way too much Dr. Seuss.
(The Fred and Ted stories by Dr. Seuss.)
