Ross Perot had this thing where he would meet you a decade after spending 30 seconds with you once and correctly recall your daughter's name and ask how she did on the test she was studying for at the time, todays "leaders" are out here pretending that needing decades of therapy is business acumen - ThreadSky

nameshiv.bsky.social • 4 days ago

Ross Perot had this thing where he would meet you a decade after spending 30 seconds with you once and correctly recall your daughter's name and ask how she did on the test she was studying for at the time, todays "leaders" are out here pretending that needing decades of therapy is business acumen

Reposted from Birb_at_Arms

I won't claim to know a representative set of successful businessmen, but the ones I have met who were really good at their jobs all liked talking to people and had little social strategies for making sure they remembered your name and at least something about you.

Seems bad to try to automate that

Comments

ignognitotx.bsky.social•4 days ago

Also not a Ross Perot fan all told (although the Children’s Museum in Dallas is *incredible*) — but his solid business acumen is not up for debate.

kylestewart.bsky.social•4 days ago

I can do that except minus remembering their name. I'd much remember name and no anecdotes vs no name with anecdotes

kwangger.bsky.social•4 days ago

there was a thing a few years back at work about getting to know your team. the way they phrased the questions, it was like do you know your co-workers deepest darkest wants and desires. it was very strange.

lolsob.bsky.social•4 days ago

He was on track to win the 1992 election until he dropped out and then dropped back in. Everyone forgets.
I think Bill Clinton has a similar elephant memory iirc. Either having that kind of memory or having assistance that enables that is so revealing about the details they care about.

lolsob.bsky.social•4 days ago

To me that's a super power.
OTOH, Trump [& a bunch of other business leaders] seem to have a powerful memory for their grudges & animuses. IMHO, the only clear sign of cognitive issues will be if he forgets his grudges b/c there's no sign he's ever let a single one go.

heyitshamhocks.bsky.social•4 days ago

This might be considered Freak Behavior on my part, but I take notes about people I see semi-frequently. I was gabbing with my dental hygienist at an appointment and she mentioned her cat needed surgery soon so I gave myself a reminder to ask about the cat at my next appointment. She appreciated it!

lildonnyb.bsky.social•2 days ago

Clinton was also pretty famous with that. I will say, most of them get briefed for events where they know who are coming, but it is still an impressive skill to have.

uofagrad97.bsky.social•4 days ago

Bill Clinton could do it too.

jasondtx.bsky.social•4 days ago

I met with the band director at my college, a 50,000 student school at the time, in high school to see about joining.

I decided not to.

He ran into me on campus YEARS later and not only remembered my name, but asked me about things I'd mentioned.

No idea how, but respected the hell out of him.

ladonnapietra.bsky.social•4 days ago

Frank Sinatra was apparently like this as well with any musician he ever played with.

heckawaits.bsky.social•4 days ago

True story (I think): my grandfather was in politics in Oregon, and my grandmother met Eleanor Roosevelt twice - separated by decades. Eleanor supposedly remembered her.

nameshiv.bsky.social•4 days ago

Not that I consider myself a Ross Perot fan, but gotta admit thats a hell of a trick, more famous ppl should try and do that

mcbiohazard.bsky.social•4 days ago

That weird little elf somehow managed to capture 5% of the national vote solely on the strength of buying 40 minutes of network tv prime time to show and tell his little charts explaining in plain talk his economic ideas. If only his paranoid billionaire brain worms didn't get him in the end. :V

cmraman.geek.org•4 days ago

I voted for him. Then again, I had read “On Wings of Eagles”. Which is a good read if anyone’s interested.

nameshiv.bsky.social•4 days ago

I have no idea how much of this is fiction but I read it as a kid and spent like a month wondering how anyone else could ever be president of usa

cmraman.geek.org•4 days ago

I mean, Follett interviewed almost everyone involved (except for Bull Simons, who had died of a heart attack a month or so after getting back from Iran.) I believe he said that he did composites of people who were still in Iran so they could not be identified, but otherwise it was as it happened.

maimysantiago99.bsky.social•4 days ago

Possibly he had an aide who helped with that, but unless they're right there in the conversation, this is still a big skill. I can do this with obscure stuff about people I know and care about, but to do it will near-total strangers is hella impressive

pagnificent.bsky.social•4 days ago

Tom cruise is like that supposedly

rodangol.bsky.social•4 days ago

Weird little guys are interesting. It’s like meeting Mr. Toad in real life.

danlargebutklein.bsky.social•4 days ago

An old headmaster of mine used to use his incredible height and the placement of the checkout queues at school for lunch to learn your name as you scanned your lunchcard. Such that he'd always say "hello name, how're you doing". Completely unnecessary but made everyone think he was a mensch.

emerald0013.bsky.social•4 days ago

Inslee did that when he was running for Gov. He was doing a hand shake-meet voters as folks were getting on transit busses for a UW Husky fb game. Saw my wife who he met for like 5 minutes 6 years earlier and remembered her name and everything.

aurora-boreali.bsky.social•4 days ago

My kids' elementary school principal can do this. It's so impressive. He knows all the kids' names, their parents' names, their siblings' names. He is also very good at his job

jacklint.bsky.social•4 days ago

Once I was waiting for a table in a restaurant with my grandparents. A man asked me what my grandfather's name was and I told him. He then went over and greeted my grandfather by name. Now it turned out the man was a notable judge and it meant a lot to my grandfather. And the judge did remember him

uneasywriter.bsky.social•4 days ago

It used to be a standard social skill of successful politicians. But it showed a certain level of respect for the voter as a fellow person.

unorlis.bsky.social•4 days ago

I am having a thought about how people are linking being thoughtful, polite and good at social skills with weakness or unintelligence, and that leading to this in someway

nushpowell.bsky.social•4 days ago

This is a skill many (not nearly all) successful politicians have. It's hard to develop, and it's powerfully linked to interacting with someone in person, with feeling seen and remembered.

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