The other day I was at home, on the phone, when my daughter walked in. I heard her come in and said to the caller, “hold on a sec.” I then went to greet her at the door.
When I returned to my conversation, the caller asked me who it was that I said hello to so warmly. I told her that it was my daughter. The caller was blown away that I had stopped our call to say hello. She then asked if I greet my daughter this way every day. I responded that I certainly do try.
How you say hello
This got me thinking that we may not always be conscious about the way we greet people, whether we’re on a call, at work or anywhere else for that matter. It’s especially relevant when we’re in a leadership position and are really visible to the people that we lead. Our people watch our every mood and take their cue from what they interpret our mood to be. Whether they want to ask for something, have that difficult conversation with us or decide just how approachable we are at that moment, they first assess what kind of state we’re in.
We often experience the opposite too. Sometimes, we receive a gruff “hello” when we place a call that leaves us wondering if we’d done something wrong. And most of the time, their mood has nothing to do with us and more to do with just not being conscious about the way we greet others.
The way we say “hello” is our intro to every interaction we have. It can set up what follows for success or the opposite.
Quick Tip
I often talk about the MBWA approach – management by walking around.
As soon as you can, in the beginning of your day (preferably before you get settled in your office or at your desk), take a walk around your area and say “hi” to people. Ask about their day and enquire about what’s going on in their lives.
Next time you answer the phone, come home or walk into an elevator, think about how you say “hello.” Make sure to put your warmth, energy and charming personality into it.
It does make a difference!
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