How to Win Over a Grinch
A two-step plan for turning a foe into a bro
Noel was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But to be quite honest, Noel always seemed to be having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Noel is the doorman of my New York City apartment building, and every time I would greet him with a chipper “good morning,” I’d receive a grunt and a scowl.
One day, I’d had enough. I decided it was time for me to win over the big grump. I made it my mission to not only get Noel to smile, but also engage in an enjoyable conversation.
Why? Because I enjoy interacting with different types of people. Because I thought it would be a neat little experiment. Because this is the kind of thing you do during the holidays (yes, I happen to watch a lot of sappy Christmas films). And because maybe, just maybe, Noel didn’t want to be a grinch after all.
After some experimentation, I decided to institute this two-step plan for turning a foe into a bro.
Search for what makes their eyes light up
When you want to break through to someone with a hard exterior, you must do your research. You can either do it directly by asking the person questions, or you can take the route I chose, and gather information from someone who knows a…
