Four Tips on Dealing With Big Shots

Big shots like to look and sound important. They can look and feel very intimidating. I have discovered, through painful experience, four rules to remember about dealing with les grandes fromages:

1. Most of them belong to the human race. Find out what interests them and show that you have some common interests. They may start treating you as a human in return. If you are also enthusiastic rather than subservient, they may well find that a refreshing change. Example: At the end of a hellish project in Riyadh I told my client I wanted to go on holiday (to a place he had talked about at length) before starting the next phase. Instead of throwing a tantrum, the client was delighted: for the first time he realised I might be a human instead of a drone. Our relationship improved greatly.
2. Busy and important people are normally very busy being important. This means that they do not have time do very much. They need people around them who can actually deliver results, be reliable and work. If you are one of those people, you will be like gold dust to them. Example: The young manager was involved in a start up with lots of top business people. He wanted to run the start up, but knew that the big shots would probably pick someone 20 years older. So he made himself useful, did the leg-work and eventually started signing off all his emails "acting CEO". The big shots were not upset: they were delighted that someone was doing all the hard work while they could take the glory. Eight years on, he is still CEO.
3. Important people don't know what's really going on and they certainly don't trust all the official papers crossing their desk.They value informal information from the front line. If you can be their eyes and ears informally, they will be more than happy to return the favour when you need some help knowing what's going on with the assignments process or the promotions process. Example: as a consultant, I gained most of my power from wandering around the shop floor and the bowels of the organisation. I would then wander from post room to board room to see the CEO: I could give him a view of his business that he could never find for himself. Easy insight for me, expensive insight for him.
4. Treat them as partners, not as bosses. Don't be intimidated. Look at how bosses talk to each other: they do not present each other with 300 page PowerPoint presentations. They sit and talk without notes. They may be very well prepared, and have lots of data to hand: they will focus much more on ideas, people and money than on the technical details of your elaborate scheme. Example: I proposed starting a new bank, which would need about £1 billion of investment. I got the informal agreement without ever presenting papers to the CEO or his reports. If I had presented long PowerPoint presentations, I would have been treated like any other vendor and would have been sentenced to death by staff analysis.