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Plan a meetingThis article was originally written and published by Speak First
In a professional business, a handshake tends to be the only time we touch another person. This makes a handshake a crucial element in making a positive impression. Here are 10 practical tips for the perfect handshake.
1. Initiate – don’t react
Sometimes there can be a moment of awkwardness when meeting someone for the first time. Be the first to put your hand out. You’ll come across as confident and energetic.
2. Get the pressure right
If your handshake is weak, others will think you’re weak – the ‘Dead Fish’. But you don’t want to be a ‘Bone Crusher’, or others will find you aggressive. Ask friends and colleagues for some feedback on your handshake, and aim for it to be firm but not too strong.
3. Avoid sweaty palms
No-one likes a clammy handshake. But sometimes we get nervous and sweating is an involuntary response. Have a tissue or handkerchief you can use to keep your palms fresh.
4. Get the distance right
Don’t get too close to the other person – or stand too far away. Go too close and you invade their personal space. Too far away and you can seem distant and aloof.
5. Go web to web
Make sure you really connect when shaking hands. That means going ‘web-to-web’ – the ‘web’ being the area between the thumb and index finger. Ensure your hand and there’s really lock together.
6. Shake don’t squeeze
It’s a hand ‘shake’ not a hand ‘squeeze’ , so your movement should be up and down, not an increase in pressure.
7. Pump it real good
How many pumps up and down? Ideally two to three. Just one can seem transactional. Too many can seem excessive.
8. Hold it
Don’t pull away too soon. Holding the contact a fraction of a second longer than you normally would gives a greater sense of connection. Once again, though, don’t hold it for too long or you will create an uncomfortable or negative impression.
9. Go straight for it
The perfect handshake comes from the side of the body to the front of the body via the shortest distance – aiming for a point just about the other person’s belly button. Don’t be a ‘gunslinger’ and take it round in an arc.
10. Don’t do ‘the politician’
Some people touch the other person’s elbow with their other hand. This ‘politician’s’ handshake is something you should avoid when meeting someone for the first time, because many people react badly to it.
At Lepaya, we help organizations retain top talent by creating a culture of continuous learning. We build stronger teams and inspire future leaders by offering innovative learning experiences through our Power Skills training.
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About Lepaya
Lepaya is a provider of Power Skills training that combines online and offline learning. Founded by René Janssen and Peter Kuperus in 2018 with the perspective that the right training, at the right time, focused on the right skill, makes organizations more productive. Lepaya has trained thousands of employees.
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DESCRIPTION: Monkeys have fascinating, complex social structures and hierarchies that involve decision-making, communication, and conflict resolution. Macaques, for instance, are known for their ‘majority first’ approach when deciding where to forage for food. They come up with different suggestions, reach a consensus, and then follow the monkey with the most followers: regardless of its age or status. This is exemplary of a democratic leadership style. Democratic leaders allow everybody’s voice to be heard. They consider the ideas and insights of their team members, giving them the chance to show their strengths and share their knowledge. This leadership style drives participation, teamwork, and personal accountability, leading to higher levels of employee engagement, retention, and workplace satisfaction, as people feel empowered and valued.
STRENGHTS: You are Creative, Stimulating, Innovative, Empowering, Collaborative, and Energetic.
CHALLENGES: When you’re a democratic leader, you might be faced with a risk of inefficiency as it takes longer to come to a mutual consensus. Also, this popular leadership style slightly suffers from the new, hybrid workplace because of the lack of spontaneous encounters at the office.
WORKS WELL IN: Startups, Scale-ups, the Creative Industry & Knowledge-based Industries
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Your leadership style is: Coaching
DESCRIPTION: When you look at horses in the wild, you’ll see that the lead mare will guide the others in a certain direction and sets the pace. If a younger horse compromises the safety of the herd or wanders off, it will be gently and patiently corrected by the mature horses, and taught what type of behavior is preferable. Providing guidance, sharing constructive feedback, helping others learn from their mistakes and improve their skills: these are all typical traits of a coaching leader. Coaching leaders believe in identifying and nurturing the individual strengths of employees, so they can develop and achieve their true potential and contribute to the success and unity of the team. These leaders are all about mutual respect, long-term individual growth, compassion, and two-way communication.
STRENGHTS: You are Supportive, Patient, Loyal, Authentic, Compassionate, Reliable, Inclusive.
CHALLENGES: Coaching leaders aim for long-term success instead of quick wins. That requires a lot of commitment and energy, and it can take a long time to see results. Another challenge for you as a coaching leader is that you might focus on individual development rather than team goals, and you tend to become too involved in day-to-day tasks and micro-management.
WORKS WELL IN: Consulting, Sales & Marketing, Education
RECOMMENDATION:Lepaya training to develop your leadership style: Resilience, Analytical Thinking and Taking Ownership
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Your leadership style is: Transformational
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STRENGHTS: You are Confident, Bold, Fearless, Analytical, Inspiring, Visionary.
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Your leadership style is: Servant
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STRENGHTS: You are Understanding, Calm, Determined, Responsible, Committed, and like to lead by example.
CHALLENGES: As a servant leader, you’re sometimes so focused on the well-being of others that you tend to lose sight of your own needs and responsibilities. This can ultimately lead to stress and can slow down decision-making processes. Also, you might find it difficult to confront others and hold them accountable for their actions.
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RECOMMENDATION: Lepaya training to develop your leadership style: Resilience, Storytelling, Taking Ownership
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Your leadership style is: Affiliative
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STRENGHTS: You are Flexible, Calm, Positive, Dynamic, Empathic, Inclusive and Trustworthy.
CHALLENGES: As you highly value a positive and harmonious atmosphere within your team, tackling complex situations can become a problem if you focus too much on avoiding conflicts and negative feedback. This might reduce productivity, lead to underperformance, and losing sight of the organizational goals and objectives.
WORKS WELL IN: Service-oriented industries like hospitality, healthcare, retail, banks & insurance companies
RECOMMENDATION: Lepaya training to develop your leadership style: Taking Ownership, Collaboration & Influence, Resilience
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