Being a Smooth Operator - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Being a Smooth Operator - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Happy Valentines Day, and I hope everybody is having a great 2009! What better day than today to discuss what it means to be a smooth operator. What is a smooth operator? To be a smooth operator means youre able to handle situations with ease, no matter how complex the situation is.   It doesnt matter whether youre talking about dating, navigating a difficult situation in the office, or getting off the hook when youve gotten in some sort of trouble. I remember working for my first manager out of college at Dell, where he prided himself on being able to negotiate free car washes and great deals on his car.   He was also a great salesman.   He was confident, made people feel good, and wasnt the least bit arrogant. He was a smooth operator.   He was able to get what he wanted, but he did it by also helping people get what they want. Being a smooth operator requires you to develop your empathy skills.   You need to have an understanding of what peoples goals and motives are and understand how to play to those needs. Do they need to be heard?   Do they need to feel wanted or important? Be brutally honest to build trust and confidence Its one of the lessons that has been the most beneficial for me in my lifetime.   Being brutally honest builds trust and confidence.     Its also the right way to start being a smooth operator.   By being remarkably honest about your intentions and goals, it becomes incredibly easy to get other people to do the same, and once you can align your goals with someone, you can start to share a story.   This is incredibly powerful and something that comes in handy as youre trying to get your goals accomplished, but it starts with honesty and selfless actions. Its my honest opinion that by being honest, you bring out the best side of yourself. You bring out a more confident and more charismatic self that is able to navigate social straits in ways you might not have thought possible. Remember to keep an eye on other peoples goals.     What are they trying to accomplish? What is the output they are trying to achieve, and what emotion makes them most satisfied?   A smooth operator makes people feel good, confident, and balances that without being arrogant. Author: Adam Salamon is Partnerships Director at Bazaarvoice, Inc., blogs about social media, entrepreneurship, and pop culture. Follow him on Twitter for daily updates.