— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu at www.tomnewhouse.com. —
Not ayes, eyes. Yep, one’s eyes tell a lot. I can tell a lying dude from my gunsight to the end of the stock. Don’t trust lying eyes.
Shifty eyes aren’t any better. Leaders, let’s talk the basics of trust. No one trusts a person who can’t look you in the eye. Sorry, if you practice other trustworthy behaviors and still lack eye contact, you’re rarely trusted. No offense to Shot, but good liars know the value of eye contact. Fact is, we tend to trust those with it, and we distrust those without it. If you want to be trusted, learn to look others in the eyes. Now dislodge the myth that looking just above the eyes will do the trick. No way! That looks like you’re looking just above the eyes. Connect with others—through eye contact.