Another Doors Opens

“The other day I was reading on Facebook that Charlize Theron considered herself as a very approachable person. Of course, that statement was followed by hundreds of comments ranging from ‘yeah, right’ to ‘please approach me’…
Well, I can understand that being as well known as Charlize will make it a bit more difficult in real life to be approachable, but when I was thinking about it, I realised I’d believe her. I believe that assuming she would be sitting on a public transport and the guy opposite (not recognising her, which again I guess is very hypothetical) would start a conversation, maybe simply based on the fact that he liked her smile, she would not ignore him. Which, I think, is much more approachable than 90% of all commuters on the tube in London.”

Funny enough, just a short while ago somebody did call us ‘approachable’, which made us reflect on this quality. We often look at the websites of other professionals in the business, and with a few exceptions, not many people do display this quality. Which made us wonder why that is. Maybe being approachable is a kind of weakness? Maybe we’re supposed to be cool, professional and even a little bit intimidating in order to be taken serious?

Is it wrong if people think of us as nice folks that would make the whole process of having something (like a yacht) designed and built an enjoyable and maybe even relaxed experience? Maybe being nice makes people wonder if we are tough enough to deal with shipyards and suppliers, making sure they follow the client’s wishes?

“I am afraid some people out there might think that way. Let’s face it, being nice isn’t really a requirement for being successful. And in the end, you cannot be friends with everybody. But personally, I prefer being nice. I’d just like to think that being ‘approachable’ builds bridges. That it opens doors with closing others. And it means that I can be happy doing what I’m doing. I’m sure Charlize would agree!”