Never Underestimate The Power of the Smile

There's a young lady that works for a company in the same building where I have my office that has one of the most engaging smiles I have ever seen. She's a young, enthusiastic personality that truly lights up when she greets anyone. She obviously enjoys her job and her infectious approach to representing the company obviously benefits their organization in numerous ways.

Recently she stopped me in the hall to ask me where my next speaking appearance was going to be. Apparently she had picked up a copy of my book and had fallen in love with the concept of Rippling and wanted to come see me present on it in person. She chatted a bit about how she was applying the strategies to her own personal and professional relationship building and how the Ripple of a smile had actually landed her her current job.

It seems that her mother had always told her that a young lady, if she wants to be noticed, always wears a big smile, maintains eye contact and always has something relevant to say. She said after college she tried to follow her mother's advice but seriously doubted the applicability of the smile part. That was until she met her current boss.

It seems she was attending a function on behalf of the company she worked for at the time. She said this man approached her from out of no where and told her that she had a smile that was hard to miss and he needed people working for him like that. She initially worried that he was actually hitting on her but the more they spoke and the more she got to know him she knew his approach wasn't some veiled come on line. He was serious!

They continued chatting throughout the night. Because she was well read about the local Austin economy they ended up chatting about a number of relevant topics related to his business and her own professional interest. That was nearly two years ago and she has continued to advance right up the career ladder with this company. She told me that her mother's advice coupled with what she was learning by Rippling was a secret weapon that many young women (and men) should learn. I was of course humbled by her story and extremely appreciative of her sharing it with me.

Never underestimate the value of a smile, eye contact and a relevant way to keep someone engaged in a conversation. You just never know where the Ripples may lead!