Old Dogs, New Tricks

Funny story. My friend Barbara Hoffman was recounting a story from High School. She recalled coming by our friend Susan's house one evening only to find Susan's father Victor, in his underwear trying to chase down the dog Benjamin who had apparently taken off. Seeing Victor - a fairly high ranking executive at IBM - on the front lawn in his boxers was surely a funny sight.

But Barbara remembered this image. And when she felt intimidated in a job interview or conversation or altercation with anyone, she remembered Victor running around in his briefs.

I thought this was a smart way to stare down those who put you on the defensive. I actually recounted the story in a meeting yesterday with a client and reporter for the WSJ. It has legs (so to speak) and can be applied to many situations.

Next time I'm in that spot, I'll think of Victor. I think he'd like that.