A New York Times (NYT) Sunday article featured Mario Batalli, chef, cookbook author, television personality talking about working in his kitchen. His philosophy and communication style as leader is that you do not have to shout to work with each other.

The culture in the kitchens of many restaurants is to yell to communicate. The high pressure, time sensitive, noisy environment lends itself to this.

On Tuesday, August 28, acclaimed chef, Charlie Trotter, was featured in the Chicago Tribune because his restaurant is closing on Friday. He discussed what he did to change the atmosphere and talked about chefs who became famous but may have paid a high price for that fame.

So, here we have two celebrated chefs, successful leaders in their own field and businesses, with two different styles. One style was forged twenty some years ago and the other is relatively current.

The questions to answer are what works best for you, does it benefit you and do you learn from it?

“You are never going to be right all the time. Get over it. The hurdles get smaller as you go along because you will be jumping over them.” Marsha Serlin, CEO, United Scrap Metal.

 So many times mistakes can paralyze us. I have learned over a period of time to not beat yourself up too much because you can learn from your mistakes if you get over them.

 For example, the first time I lost a project it took me a year to get past it. But it also taught me how to never be unprepared when presenting a project at a casual meeting.

About five years ago, I was faced with a similar situation. I went through a challenging hour of discussion with seven key decision makers for a project. But by then it had become a natural process to always be fully prepared.

It is important to have a social media presence. For that, LinkedIn continues to be the number one place to get exposure and let the world know your personal brand. However, it does not replace traditional networking. So when you have an opportunity to do face to face events, maximize your presence by ensuring you do the following:

• Own the room with confidence. Have your pitch-who you are and a success story—ready at all times

• Be engaging. Even before you say one word offer a firm handshake and make good eye contact.

• Follow up. Afterwards, connect either by e-mail or phone calls. If possible, meet for coffee or lunch.

• Keep a file of your networking events. This will help you remember names and faces.

Networking can be fun and energizing if you take the attitude you want to learn about folks and what they are involved in. The activity will expand your people knowledge and allow others to get to know you.

Don’t be the person who is always late. Being late lacks professionalism, shows you are not organized and indicates you have little respect for others who are waiting for you. It can be a hard habit to break unless you put in key steps to be on time.

Years ago, I heard someone say that she was always late. I promised myself I would never be that person.

So, I allow at least fifteen minutes in between meetings and set my clocks 10 minutes ahead of time. I am usually fifteen minutes early. This gives me time to get settled and gather my thoughts.

Also, remember that being on time is just as important for social as it is for business events.

In our fast paced environment, listening is a skill that takes patience and the ability to stay focused on the conversation. The biggest challenge is usually allowing the other person to finish their thoughts. I know I have been guilty of interrupting a speaker.

So, my tip is to count to ten to ensure the conversation has finished before you begin. Also, if you have interrupted because you thought the person was finished speaking, immediately apologize and let the other person complete his or her thought.

When you interrupt you may not hear that golden nugget of information critical to the solving the problem or miss learning something important.

When you smile the whole world smiles too.

• The average woman smiles 62 times per day.
• The average man smiles 8 times a day.
• 63 percent of people say they look best in photos when they are showing their teeth.
• 99.7 percent of adults say an attractive smile is an important personal asset.
• 74 percent of people say that an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for business or career success.
• 23 percent of people say they look best with their mouth closed.

Just recently I was completely surprised and completely caught off guard when given an award. In cases like this often, you hear folks either ramble on and on or go completely blank.

These are the keys to saying a few brief but impactful comments:

1. Take the time to walk up to the stage. This gives you an opportunity to collect your thoughts.

2. Share a story or a fact that will honor the award. For example, you might mention how the organization impacted you.

3. Give thanks to those responsible for you receiving the honor.

Remember these critical elements and you will always give a heartfelt, appreciative and graceful speech.

In a recent Chicago Tribune, Rex Huppke’s column addressed the value of being a nice person. In today’s work environment where results are critical there never seems to be enough time for niceties. This includes small talk such as how the family is doing or did you enjoy your vacation?

It has been proven may times that just taking a minute or two eases the way before we dive into everyday business work issues. Also, when giving feedback, be inclusive. The main goal is to strengthen social skills not tear them down.

A prized quality of a stellar reputation is being thought of as fair and nice.

In today’s business climate, with unemployment at all-time high, you can run the risk of trying to be someone else. Judy Garland said it the best, “Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of the second rate version of someone else.”

Begin to take inventory of what is it that you want and how you want to come across in an interview. The basics do not change. They are to engage your interviewer and be honest in your communications.

If something does not sound right, ask a question to confirm you understand what is being said. In other words, what you hear is what it means to you. Keep these things in mind and you will be a first rate version of yourself.

It amazing how many folks do not realize how important the smile is. A smile engages those around you. It adds warmth to you and gives warmth to others. It changes the perception of who you are.

The Definition of Smile

As a verb: Form one’s features into a pleased, kind, or amused expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up: “smiling faces.”

As a noun: A pleased, kind or amused facial expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed.

Remember the expression, when you are smiling the world smiles with you and when you are crying you cry alone.