"Poor communication skills can
condemn you to a life of mediocrity and
frustration. Good communication skills
can unlock your dreams of success."
Dr. Robert A. Tracz

Two-faced Grace

She might seem to be a friend but be wary.

Two-faced Grace says one thing to you and something else to others. She is pleasant, often attractive and seems too good to be true. She probably is.

She says all the right things and gets in close with you. She is treacherous and she'll take advantage of you and use you. If she is a colleague or a subordinate she will catch you off guard because of her sweetness and she will take advantage of you and if she rises to power Grace will become demanding and a dictator (see Dictator Dick).

Grace could be petty or malicious. If petty she could be an annoyance and if malicious she could be the cause of your demise.

If you hire check her references closely and if she already works with you don't ignore obvious problems. Confront them.

Lois was attractive, pleasant and helpful – almost too good to be true. She had become indispensable to my business as the bookkeeper and office manager. She handled all the money and never wanted to take a vacation. I later learned that should have been my first clue.

Lois was stealing from us. There were signs and so I baited a trap. Even when I caught her in the act I still doubted myself.

Here's what to do:
· Check her references and ask people you trust for their opinion of her.
· Rely on your intuition and gut feelings.
· Don't be rash – develop a strategy to catch her. Involve trusted colleagues in your plan in case it backfires.
· Don't trust anyone explicitly – build in safety checks.
· Get rid of her if she works for you.
· Avoid her as much as possible if you can't get rid of her.
· When you have to work with her document everything and guard what you say to her.

When someone seems too good to be true, she probably is.

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