When I drive down to see Sally, I have to drive through Washington, D.C., area, head west on Route 66 in Virginia, and then head south down Route 81 through Valley. Somewhere a little west of Manassas, Virginia, there's a definite change in scenery. The "big city" feel is gone, 4-lane highway in each direction narrows down to two lanes each way, and there's actual land space between communities.

On one trip down to Valley, I had a horrible time trying to get out of Washington, D.C., area. The Beltway around D.C. was plagued with construction zones and at least one accident. By time I made it west of Manassas, I needed to take a road break. I drove for several miles looking for a place to stop, and I finally saw an exit off highway with a McDonald's.

I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings as I entered McDonald's (I had other things on my mind), but I did take a look around me as I left. I saw that McDonald's is in middle of nowhere. As I pulled out of parking lot, I noticed that majority of traffic on two-lane road was due to McDonald's. I thought, "What a great location McDonald's picked!"

Think about it. Before McDonald's was built, I'm sure there were people who just saw a wide open space of land out in middle of nowhere. The land probably didn't show a lot of promise. However, person(s) who built this McDonald's saw an exit on and off a major east/west highway that was well-traveled. They saw only means of refreshment for miles around. They saw guaranteed traffic. They saw possibilities.

Anyway, Stone Cold Steve Austin (one of famous wrestlers with a notoriously bad temper) was chewing someone out. Suddenly Steve stopped in mid-sentence and said "Look at me when I'm talking to you". The person looked at him, then after another minute looked away. Steve repeated his words again, "Look at me when I'm talking to you!". This happened several times.

This little drama got me to thinking, what is it about eyes? When you are talking to someone where should you be looking? Does where you put your eyes have anything to do with advancement in your career?

It has been said that "eyes are mirror to soul", and in my experience this has proven to be true time and time again. I have gotten into habit of looking people directly in their eyes when I speak to them and as I am listening to what they have to say.

Why? Because I can tell more about a person from they way he handles his eyeballs than you can imagine.

Someone who can look me in eye as I speak to them is very sure of himself (note we are not talking about a hostile stare - just someone who can look at me as I speak to them). Combine this with a strong handshake and a favorable demeanor and you have a person who will be very good for any team. These people tend to be leaders and very capable people. They take direction well because, since they are paying attention to you, they understand what's needed to get job done.

Don't get me wrong here. We are not talking about a staring contest. What I am saying is someone who can look me in eye while I speak is almost certainly listening to what I have to say. He is not afraid of me or my position, which is excellent in a team member. I am kind of manager who does not like nor want "yes men" (or women) - I have found them to be useless parasites which should be ejected at earliest opportunity.

Thus, when I meet someone, I am most impressed when they have a firm handshake and can look at me directly. This implies strength of character and a strong will. These kinds of people are rare and they are to be treasured and nurtured when they are found.