During formal night on a recent cruise, the captain presented a few of the key officers and department heads on board.
Connect: Introduce your employee by the name he or she actually uses.
Even though I was wearing an evening gown and thinking about reaching out for one of the champagne glasses that came swirling by, I was struck by the slight. I wondered if the captain even knew the names of his top customer service providers. Or whether he cared how they might have felt to be nameless when it was their turn to take the platform and wave.
Making public introductions is an important, but often overlooked, job of a leader. The presentation of the people on the dais sets the tone for the event, gives the audience an idea of what's ahead and—when mishandled—telegraphs differences in status within the top ranks.
“The unspoken message is that these are my lesser staff; they are not part of the core command structure,” says Joseph Kavanaugh, associate professor of management at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, US.
The captain’s introductions also spoke of the relative importance he apparently places on service providers, Kavanaugh says. But to the audience—the vacationers who rely on the stateroom staff for cleaning, and perhaps to bring soothing ginger ale when they're seasick—those are the key players.
Kavanaugh, a veteran cruiser familiar with the introduction ritual, says he hopes the passengers included a few managers who noticed the different introductions, and thought about how they handle such things back at the office.
“When we're on stage, we need to be really careful about recognizing and appreciating all the employees equally,” says Kavanaugh, who specializes in organizational behaviour, including motivation and leadership. It's not good practice when a manager focuses on a few and largely ignores the rest.
And if the group is too large or some of the employees don't really need to be introduced? Then don’t have them on stage, says Kavanaugh.
A little practice also helps, especially if you’re worried about forgetting names and titles in the glare of the spotlight. Be sure you know your co-workers’ names and the jobs they do, recommends Vince Bonura, vice-president for Motivo Performance Group, a consulting firm that focuses on workplace improvement strategies in Houston. Use the name the person actually uses, so you're not introducing “James” when everyone calls him “Jim”.
Bill Bux, a labour and employment lawyer at Locke Lord, always has something interesting to say about the lawyers he introduces at his firm's annual legal update for clients—where they went to college, the sports teams they root for, or maybe the big cases they just won. It works because it's warm, enthusiastic and creates connections with the audience.
“You always, always, always use their name,” says Bux, who likes to publicly rib one colleague who roots for the New York Yankees. “People love that.”
Bux says he takes the job of introductions seriously. When he doesn’t know someone, he makes sure he learns something personal, either from the person he’s introducing or from a colleague.
“I know how I feel when someone introduces me and shows enthusiasm,” says Bux, who learnt from public speaking courses as well as watching some good—and bad—examples.
And it's not just the lawyers. Bux always gives a shout-out to each staff member who has arranged the coffee service, ordered breakfast or put together information packets.
“They’re part of the team,” says Bux. And the next time he needs to put together an event? It's those same staff members who are quick to offer to help.
© 2012/The New York Times
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