| I think you need to make it clear that you are a maker and your limitations are more in the realm of physics -- what can work and what won't work. Business people tend to be more social-oriented, people-oriented. And one of the pitfalls of that is that most such people think if you just make the right friends, find the right words, push the right emotional buttons, you can make magic. And sometimes that's true. But sometimes what they want is a case of "Something cannot be both heavy and light at the same time. I can be light and large -- like a cloud -- but it can't be both heavy and light. Pick one." I do a lot of studying of social things and I hate people who are manipulative. A lot of people with serious social skills are manipulative. In short, many of them lie when it's convenient because they don't want to deal with negative emotions or whatever. So I would have them watch the Jim Carrey movie "Liar, Liar." and challenge them to use their social skills to tell the actual truth in a more acceptable manner instead of fudging. I would also recommend negotiating books. Hard skills when it comes to dealing with people helps make it possible to be both honest and diplomatic. The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator is research based and very meaty. Getting to Yes is also research based, but a quick, easy read. |