Ted

“The Science of Name-Dropping”

 

 Movie Synopsis:

John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) makes a wish bringing his teddy bear (voiced by Seth McFarlane) to life. John soon finds himself having to choose between his new best friend or his girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis) who is ready for a commitment.

Scenario:

Ted and John are hanging out at the pad when John claims to be able to guess the name of Ted’s new girlfriend.

Selected Scene:

John:               Well, what’s her name?
Ted:                White trash name, guess.
John:               Mandy
Ted:                Nope
John:               Marilyn
Ted:                Nope
John:               Brittany
Ted:                Nope
John:               Tiffany
Ted:                Nope
John:               Janice
Ted:                Nope
John:               Don’ f**k with me on this, I know this shit! 

Business Tip:

Let's talk about the "fine line" of being a pretentious, annoying individual trying too hard to fit in, versus a well-connected professional, willing to share his/her network with those in need. To be clear about the issue, nobody likes a person acting more impressive then they really are, especially if it's in a manner to "one up" in a conversation. So, what do you do when you have contacts you think might be important to mention? Well, it depends on who is in the conversation. If it's a peer to peer group, it should be okay to mention a name or two (although, I highly recommend not to exceed more than 2 names per/convo). If you're with folks you are meeting the first time, don't share your contact, if it makes sense, go ahead and offer to make a connection in your follow up communication and only provide the name when asked. If you're with management, only chime in if your contact is in a "decision-making" or "influential" position to actually help. If your contact is more entry-level, it could be helpful for you to reach out to him/her and forward any useful information to your supervisor along with a brief recap of your conversation, if appropriate. One footnote, none of this applies if you work in Washington, DC...this is where name-dropping is basically expected (that is, if you are lucky enough to get a "hello" from anyone)!