My target: My current boss
My tools: Knowledge of who he was and the application of sentiment and wonder.
My goal: A better job
At this time, I used to be a kindergarten teacher for 4 years. During which, my current boss had meetings in the school where I worked at and I noticed that he was a man of importance due to his own aesthetics (expensive suit and tie). I slowly start to inquire and looking up my target in order to find the best approach to this man.
I soon find out that he is a sports fan and take this in consideration. During this time, I always made sure that when I had my kids around him, they were on their best behavior and that I always acknowledged his presence with a “Hey man”. Not a “Good Morning Sir” because this was how I was delving into his sentimental side. I knew that he was always busy and stressed out. Last thing he wanted to hear was another person kissing his feet in a unrelatable world.
Yet, I never gave too much of myself and was always reserved in his presence. I wasn’t a fool. If he wanted to continue feeling comfortable then he would have to approach me. And this is how the element of wonder is applied. I slowly started seeing my magic taking affect and soon he was the one greeting me with a “Hey man”. Our conversations lead to jokes about sports and how I lack the ability to do any sport. Which again I am placing myself in a position of sympathy and thus comfort.
It only took a month for him to start expressing himself in more deep and philosophical conversations. While I also noticed that he was looking at my other craft of teaching I saw that he was impressed. So then once he saw me as a beacon of hope, he comes into my room one day and asks for my resume. Mission accomplished, now I am a manager of a lab and I am getting paid twice as much as I used to.