When the big boys and big girls are considering whether to invite someone to join them above the glass ceiling, they listen intently for any hint that the candidate is not the big cheese he or she purports to be. They have such finely tuned ears they can hear a snail clear its throat a mile away. If they pick up on one giveaway phrase, it can turn a potential big cat into roadkill.
One time, I was the littlest shot, a lowly author, at an awards ceremony of the Audio Books Publishing Association. Someone must have screwed up the seating plan, because I found myself at a banquet table with seven heavyweights of the most prestigious audio books publishing house. They were listening intently to a man who was seeking a high-level job with them.
The gentleman spoke of his educational degrees and his extensive track record. Most of all, he described his current high-level responsibilities and position. I glanced around the table and could see he was impressing them.
One big cat handed him his business card and said, “Give me a call tomorrow. I look forward to hearing from you.”
“Great,” said the soon-to-be-squashed critter. “I’ll call you tomorrow on my lunch hour.” The heavy hitters froze. They glanced at each other with that knowing “this dude is history” look.
With four words, the poor guy proved he was a little puss who would never make it in the front door of Big Deal Audio Publishing House. He signed his professional death warrant when he said, “Great, I’ll call you on my lunch hour.” To instantly connect professionally with the big boys and girls, you must sound as though you are on the same level.
Anyone perched high on the professional ladder calls her own shots about little things like lunch. No one tells her what she can do and what she can’t do. Least of all, what time to have lunch and when to be back in the office.
Of course, practically everyone who works at an office has more or less an hour to eat, and it’s usually the same time each day. Instead of saying, “during my lunch hour,” however, don’t mention the time allotted. “While I’m at lunch” will suffice.
We’re talking semantics here, but they are pretty important ones. If Little Puss had just said, “I’ll call you about 12:30” instead, he might soon have heard “Welcome aboard.”
Little Trick #59
Don’t Say “My Lunch Hour”
When you use this phrase (and others like it, such as “during my break”), your listeners figure somebody above you dictates your schedule. Even though most of us do have someone giving us our schedule, why advertise it? Seek to sound self-directed, not dictated to by someone else.
No matter what professional position you hold or how structured your day, you have the liberty to think and speak like the captain of your own ship. Nobody tells captains when and how long they have for lunch.
Here are some more ways to sound like you are the Big Boss, at least of your own life.