Today is Tuesday, so this post is on Positive Personal Impact.
I learned a long time ago that business meals are not about the food. Business meals are about business. You should treat a business meal as you would any other business meeting. Read on for some common sense advice on using business meals to create positive personal impact…
About 30 years ago, I learned this lesson in an embarrassing way. I had just joined a new company. I was the Training Manager for one of the divisions. About a month into my tenure, the Human Resources Management Team (HRMT) for the corporation was having one of its quarterly meetings. This was a two day meeting that was being held at our location. There was a dinner on the evening of the first day. All of us who worked in Human Resources at our location were invited.
As it so happens, I was living and working in New Haven CT, a town with a large Italian population and several very good Italian restaurants. We were to have dinner at one of these restaurants. One of my colleagues was local. She knew this restaurant well, and was excited that we had an opportunity to dine there.
The specialty of the house was a dish call “Zuppa de Pesce”. She told me that this was a dish of all kinds of seafood, including a lobster, served over a big platter of spaghetti with red sauce, and it was her favorite restaurant dish. The only problem was that it was served for two. Zuppa de Pesce sounded good to me, and I liked this woman so I agreed to share a platter with her.
I was looking forward to this meal, because it would give me an opportunity to meet and interact with the senior HR people in the Corporation. I was hoping to make a good impression, as I thought I might want to make a career with this company. I went home after work, showered, shaved, put on a clean shirt and suit, and went to the dinner.
Sure enough, Zuppa de Pesce was on the menu, and true to my word, I ordered it for my friend and me. What a mistake! The food was delicious. However, it cam served on one of the largest silver trays I have ever seen. It dominated the entire table. Worse yet, they fitted the two of us with lobster bibs.
My friend was enjoying herself immensely. I felt as if I stood out like a sore thumb. Everyone else had a bowl of pasta or a piece of fish. My friend and I looked like we were right out of “The Godfather”.
That’s the night I learned that business meals are not about the food. This particular meal ended up being a lost opportunity to impress senior people from all over the corporation. It wasn’t a career killer, but it also wasn’t the career enhancer it could have been.
So after bearing my soul about learning the hard way that business meals are not about food, here are a few common sense tips for business dining.
- Turn off your cell phone or pager. Concentrate your attention on the people at the table, not the people who might call you.
- Make conversation with the people on your right and on your left when seated at a large table. If you find that one of these people is being ignored and sitting quietly, engage him or her in conversation.
- Participate in, but don’t dominate conversation at a small table.
- Order food that is easy to eat. Pasta that you must twirl is not a good idea. It is difficult to eat such a dish in a delicate manner.
- Order an item that is moderately priced.
- Drink in moderation or not at all. Order a glass of wine with your meal and drink it slowly.
- Use excellent table manners. If you are not sure about what to do, watch others and follow their lead. If you are completely lost, act in a manner that shows consideration for the people with whom you are dining.
- Let the host bring up business. Usually, business conversations are reserved for after the main course.
- Make sure to thank your host – even if you know he or she will be reimbursed for the expense of the dinner.
- Send a hand written thank you note to the host the next day. Handwritten notes make you stand out and create a positive personal impact.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my other blog www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a business, and my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open. Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.
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