People-Centric Skills: Interpersonal and Communication Skills for Auditors and Business Professionals

CHAPTER 8 Continuing the People-Centric Journey

MATT WAS IN no hurry to make the 6:30 evening reservation at the premier steakhouse in Chicago. Matt, always on time for everything, knew Dalton would be a bit late. It was a blustery evening, with the winds gusting off Lake Michigan. Matt and Leslie, his wife, were invited for the evening by Dalton. Matt, the “Ethical Compass,” as Dalton liked to think of him, might not have accepted an extravagant dinner from a consultant, if this was deemed “business.” However, Dalton invited them for the holidays and just a few friends getting together, because that's what it really was. Dalton and Matt had become close over the past year and it felt, to both of them, like genuine friendship. Dalton had been over to Matt's house many times over the past year, from dinner to watching the Northwestern or Bears football games, and even having Matt's lovely wife watching Dalton's kids for a few hours.

Dalton in fact was at the restaurant a good 30 minutes early. He had plenty to think about. His business was growing explosively. With his first book out through a major publisher early next year, the sky was the limit. His business had more than doubled last year, and he had hired his first full-time employees. Dalton now saw his future clearly and was loving every minute of the journey. It wasn't just the monetary gains; it was the flexibility and ability to control his destiny. But it also was very much the mental and emotional high of speaking ...