Career Advice from Hunger Games

I was pretty surprised at how much I liked seeing the Hunger Games.  I admit that I had pretty low expectations for a movie based on a book written for teenagers.  I expected wooden acting and few surprises.  I was impressed with how developed the different locations were, although I admit I'm less excited for the future knowing now that we'll all end up as flamboyant ravers.

Once Haymitch came out of his (somewhat cliche) drunken state, his first piece of advice to the young protagonist was remarkably insightful.  "Make people LIKE you." That's good advice to all of us.

I've written before about the importance of relationships with other people and how maintaining the trust of other people is critical to persuading people, but not a lot is ever said about how to actually get people to like you in the first place.  I want to outline two things
that have worked for me.

1.  Be absolutely reliable

One of the biggest compliments anyone has ever given me was when my manager told me, "When I have something that absolutely has to be done, I give it to Luke Graham." When I say I'm going to get something done, I get it done.  Part of the secret is not over-promising on your abilities, part of it is not taking on so many tasks that you won't be able to give each the necessary attention.  Put some thought into your time management processes to be sure that you aren't procrastinating or overlooking important tasks.

When you consistently deliver, people notice.  On the other hand, when you don't deliver, people really notice (in a bad way!)

2. Learn to make small talk

Engaging in conversation with a stranger takes self confidence, but it also builds self confidence.  It can be scary and painful, but it's absolutely worth it.  People that aren't comfortable making conversation will love you if you can make it easy for them.

Small talk is a skill that you can develop by practicing everywhere.  Think of the awkward silence in the grocery store checkout line while the cashier waits for your receipt to print.  Practice engaging the cashier in conversation about the funny mix of products you are buying, which sports team they like in a coming event, or what they thought of a movie that is advertised on the nearby magazines.  Dry cleaners, call center customer service reps, teachers, bar tenders, customers, all make great practice.

When I was a teenager, my dad gave me the best small-talk advice I've ever heard.  If you have to talk to someone, get them talking about themselves.  It works pretty much every time.  Find out what they are interested in and ask them about it.  They're always experts on themselves.

I'll add one more piece of advice I learned from Tim Sanders' book Love is the Killer App: whenever possible, avoid talking about the weather or other mundane topics.  Move as quickly as you can to talking about what really matters to the person and you will be much more likely to make a real personal connection.  I've abandoned asking people how they are doing.  I now ask, "What's keeping you busy?" It's a simple question that the recipient can choose to blow off, but more often, I get an honest answer about how that person is spending their time; or even better, what is causing that person stress.  That leads to an interesting conversation and both of us feeling better connected.

So, while I don't have any experience to claim that these tips will help keep you alive in a teenage death match, I've seen for myself that they can help you establish a more satisfying career.