What is in a smile? Next to the eyes, to me, a smile says everything. And, yes, a smile can melt everything: anger, impatience, insecurity, fear, aloofness.
However, the observation I want to investigate are those that offer ‘quick smiles’ when they see anyone. You know what I mean – the politician’s smile, the red carpet smile, and the stereotype ‘salesman’ smile. What I have noticed is that those individuals who are more thoughtful and perhaps even a minute slower in offering a smile when they first meet you or first walk into a room – appear more authentic and in some cases simply more credible. They look at me, they look in my eyes, the take ‘me in’ – then they smile. It leads me to believe there is really something smile about! And the smile goes all the way up to their eyes. Wow – now that is a warm smile.
When you think about executives, leaders, and people in your life for whom you have respect and who have earned credible reputations in their field, think about how they enter a room. Think about how they greet individuals. Sure – a smile is very important and they know it. Yet, the ones that give the purest and warmest smiles, are those that have just a hair of delay in their delivery as if they are truly smiling at YOU – not for you. Makes all the difference in the world.