Do You Have Character?

A new client explains how she concluded the author had 'character' worthy of being hired.
By: Cynthia McKay | 05/25/2009


A new consulting client just signed with me to develop a distributorship program for selling home furnishings. Our initial meeting was a comfortable, quiet lunch meeting. She is a brilliant young woman with a Princeton education, extremely pleasant and easy to chat with concerning life, politics and business. We spoke for several hours, and her decision to come on board with my consulting firm was made at the time of our tête-à-tête. She requested that a contract be drawn up immediately.

This sort of reaction is highly unusual. In fact, it was so unexpected that I had no legal documents with me with which to seal the deal. I wondered why her conclusion was almost instantaneous. I wanted to know what happened so that all of my future business meetings would be this effortless.

To solve this mystery, I asked my client what made her choose my company to develop her distributorship model. She told me she thought both the company and I had character. That's an oft-used word, but I wondered how to define the term in relation to this situation.

I asked what character meant to her, and I asked her to be completely honest in her answer. After all, our conversation had run the gamut, and I felt I could trust her to provide more detail. Her response surprised me. According to my newfound friend and client, the following are the reasons for her decision:

1. My company appeared successful.
2. I was dressed well.
3. My car was impressive.
4. My staff were professional and friendly, both in person and on the phone.
5. I had a clean and concise company website.
6. I offered nice business cards.
7. My education was "trustworthy"
8. My introductory packet sent via mail was of high quality.
9. Her free consultation was informative.
10. I had nice teeth.

I was both pleased and perplexed by her explanation, and requested further clarification. I understand that the overall appearance of a company can impress or offend a client and, of course, that competent staff members--whether comprising one employee or 500--make a significant contribution to any company's success.

For my part as CEO, dressing well probably means a small victory in some personal way, and a good car can also give a client the impression that we're "doing OK." Decent stationery, business cards, website and presentation folders are an integral part of achieving credibility. That left us with a discussion of my education, free consultation and teeth.

I began the next dimension of our conversation by asking her to relate the relevance of teeth and character. She said good dental hygiene showed that I cared. I wondered what that meant. I cared about what? Orthodontics, flossing and regular dental checkups? No. She explained that, in her opinion, teeth are a telling sign of "personal care" and "business savvy." To her, teeth indicated attention to detail, lifestyle and a concern for all things relevant to an individual. So teeth are a metaphor for life and business. Interesting. Teeth equate to a philosophical trust for her, and I was lucky enough to have a great cosmetic dentist.

Back to character. Was her conclusion that my company and I had character a result of my interest in her business and her goals, or was it the accomplishments of my firm? It couldn't all be related to the aforementioned aesthetics. No, it's about "character," she said, not the car, suit or anything else. It was a culmination of things in her eyes. "Not the car?" I asked. No, apparently it was about the cleanliness and uncluttered status of the vehicle I arrived in. She was also pleased that I didn't have vanity plates.

That was close. Just last year I had a sedan sporting plates that said, "HLONWLZ" or, as one of our corporate attorneys tagged me, "Hell on Wheels." As a matter of full disclosure, I confided to her that I once had a car with vanity plates, but assured her I'd grown as a person since then. She cautiously accepted that explanation.

I asked her about the suit and education. She told me the law degree indicated I was tenacious and could finish a project. I agree with that--I'm still attending school, and find it rewarding and challenging. I suppose if you look at the fact that I've been attending one college or another for more than 20 years, you could retract that comment and wonder whether I actually have a direction in life. No matter, she liked me as I was that day.

She continued with a comment on the attire. The suit was tidy, neat and orderly; it was clearly chosen, she said, to make a good impression at our first meeting. I was struck by her contemplative method of communication. It wasn't about "stuff"--it was about how the stuff was presented in terms of delivering consideration, concern and attentiveness.

As a side note, she said she was impressed that I was on time for the meeting and, in fact, early. She had arrived 20 minutes prior to the scheduled time to meet, and I arrived 10 minutes ahead. Her early arrival was orchestrated by the need to see whether I would care enough to be there at the time I promised. Arriving early, she said, showed respect for her.

Further, I was generous with my time. She explained that I never looked at my watch or acknowledged the presence of a cell phone. I didn't care about the time, and I turned the phone off for the duration of our meeting. She appreciated that I offered her a free consultation with no time limit whatsoever and paid for lunch as well. She deemed that behavior as true character with no dollar signs.

Everything I did had a unique meaning to this individual. Her interpretation of life was influenced by her study of Eastern culture. Respect, character and consideration offer a strong basis for a relationship. I realized that character was about recognizing my own flaws, yet wanting to offer my "best side" to an individual I had never met before.

Character, though difficult to define, is about respecting others and offering your best, even though it's a bit more inconvenient than taking another, less complicated and tiring route. I learned a great deal that day.

Cynthia McKay is a business growth consultant and CEO of Le Gourmet Gift Basket, a company she began as a small home based business in 1992 and has grown to 510 operating distributorships and more than $1 million in revenue.