Final Word from Friday, May 2, 2003
The Financial Times reported this week that flirting will get you everywhere in business. It can help you bring in new deals or get a promotion. Scots, it seems, think they're particularly effective at it. Czechs aren't bad either. Sending a person of the right sex to a meeting with a client or a Czech official can raise the odds of success. Why pay Kč 1,000 for that parking ticket, when a nice smile, a bit of flattery or a twitch of the tail can reduce it to Kč 100? Czechs tend to be more tolerant than some nationalities of physical contact or sexually suggestive behavior or language. Some foreign firms try to impose strict rules from headquarters, but with mixed success. Certain tendencies can't be suppressed. Instead of trying, employers might find it more beneficial to follow the FT's advice and teach their workers how to put their sexual magnetism to productive use.