It is sometimes difficult to muster the courage and conviction to communicate with people who are at higher organizational levels than we are used to working with. Here are some thoughts on the subject that you may find helpful:

• Although at first it may seem counter-intuitive, it is actually easier to communicate with higher-level people than with those at lower levels. Higher-ups are smarter, nicer, more competent and generally impressive people. When you think about it, this only makes sense—they got where they are for a reason. A corollary to this is that if you feel like you are tired of beating your head against the wall from dealing with losers, give yourself a break and graduate to the higher levels.
• Be confident in yourself. You have earned the right to have the opportunity to connect with the executive.
• Ultimately, no matter how lofty in the organization, your executive contact is just a person—with likes and dislikes, memories and dreams, pleasures and ailments—just like you! Taking the time to genuinely connect on a personal level will help you get off to a good start.
• There will always be someone who could do the job better and who you would like to hand off to. This is a tough part of our job and separates the “men from the boys,” if you will. You need to screw-up your courage and just “do it.” It’s not as hard as it looks, gets easier every time, has a remarkable positive impact on your career and your self image, and it is part of your job!
• Any consulting organization (Big 4, McKinsey, etc.) expects its partners to establish executive-level connections and to use them to manage their engagements, build their business, deal with problems, etc. It is simply part of our lives in this business. Your value as an executive in your firm, and in the marketplace, is largely determined by your ability to perform in this regard.
• When there is a sense of urgency, we can get to the top. Take advantage of it when it happens. If needed, you can even create a problem to be solved, use it to promote a sense of urgency, get connected in the follow-up, and then institutionalize with periodic executive committee status briefings.
• People love to feel important. Take time to study your target and listen carefully enough to give yourself fodder to accomplish this objective with what you say in conversation.
• Stay on an adult-to-adult level, not adult to child. Once you drop to an inferior or subordinate position it is tough to recover.
• Before actually engaging in conversation, put yourself into the situation. Script out your messages, role play with a colleague and examine how you think the client will behave in order to work out the best responses or to modify your approach.
• Despite all the planning you do, there will be unexpected developments. Expect the unexpected and be ready to think on your feet and follow your instincts.
• During the conversation, try to float up to an omniscient position every few minutes in order to ask yourself:
• What is going on?
• Are things going the way I want
• What can I do to get back on track?

• Avoid focusing on the rewards for doing well and the penalty of not doing well—these thoughts tend to induce anxiety rather than peak performance. Concentrate on the business at hand and doing well at what got you where you are today.
• Take good notes and write them up as soon as you disengage (bullet points that convey the substance are more helpful than long-winded memos). Review your performance, note what went well and where you think you can improve next time. Talk about the experience with others whose input you value.
• Enjoy yourself. You will perform better if you like what you are doing and can have fun doing it. Lighten up and be your best.
  

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