You must have heard the idiom, “Your eyes don’t lie” right?  Well, what about your belly button?

An article in the Winnipeg Free Press delineates what body language expert Janine Driver purports, that body language can give a person the upper hand in professional interactions.

Driver claims that the belly button plays a significant role in body language and is an accurate indicator for reading and influencing others.

In her book, You Say More Than You Think, Driver writes, “the direction our naval faces reflects our attitude and reveals our emotional state.  When we suddenly turn our navel toward a door or exit, or simply away from someone, we subconsciously send the signal that we want out of the conversation and perhaps even out of the interaction.”

Most of our communication with others is non-verbal.  Learning how to interpret that body language can be crucial to success in personal and business endeavors.  However, Driver is quick to comment that being able to read body language does not make you a mind reader.

The article goes on to point out that a person needs to understand another person’s baseline before making any truth judgments.   For example, evasive eye contact can mean a nervous liar or simply be reflecting an honest person’s shyness.

A suggestion from Driver to make yourself look more powerful at work is to stand inside the door frame with your hands up, one on each side of the door.  So, next time you want to ask your boss for something or need a little respect when delivering news, go to your boss’s office and stand inside the door frame.  Tip:  Tilt your hip to add casual charm and likability.

“We face our belly button toward people we like, admire and trust,” says Driver.

What do you think from your personal experience? Do you think that what Driver suggests is true?

CNN Money has just reported that managers that encourage loyal opposition can better avoid corporate disaster.

Nowadays, especially with the state of our economy, it is easy to fall into a yes-man culture, especially since many more workers feel insecure about their jobs.

Many employees are afraid to give their bosses bad news.  They would be saying no to their superior and many feel like they could be risking their job.

The dilemma they face is do they divulge particular information to their bosses even if it is undesirable to do so.  The answer according to Menlo CEO Rich Sheridan is yes.

Sheridan suggests that companies that foster this new type of “open” relationship enjoy better decision-making, more ethical behavior and the ability to truly harness the collective brainpower of the workforce.

“My job is to say, ‘Thank you for letting me know’ not ‘I need you to work an extra 10 hours tonight, ‘” affirms Lisa Ho, 26, a Menlo project manager.  “Sometimes it’s hard to do because we have this deadline we’re trying to meet.  But I respect them for telling me and as long as we’re very transparent…I can call the client.”

An example of how other companies are beginning to implement this type of “open” environment can be seen through Grand Circle Corps a travel and cruise company.    Their employees are graded on their open communication.  During a monthly meeting, executives answer staff questions for half an hour, and the people who ask outstanding questions are recognized in the company’s newsletter.

Alan Lewis, Grand Circle CEO, confirms, “The reason you want your employees to raise hot issues is that’s where you’ll learn about bottlenecks…You’ll see where you have organizational issues.

Do you think your company encourages this type of “open” environment ?