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As an executive, your job is to bridge the gap. After the first course, deliberately turn to the client’s wife and ask her opinion on a non-business topic. Better yet, invite her into the business conversation: "Sarah, you run a marketing firm. What do you think about our branding dilemma?" Inclusion is respect.
So set the table well. Pour the wine carefully. And remember: the most important handshake happens before the appetizers—when the wives smile at each other and recognize a kindred spirit. That is when the deal truly begins. business dinner with the wives
Intermix. Seat the host’s wife next to the client. Seat the client’s wife next to the host. This cross-pollination forces conversation to stay inclusive. It prevents the dreaded scenario where the executives discuss EBITDA while the wives discuss gardening—a segregated dynamic that breeds resentment. As an executive, your job is to bridge the gap
If you are the host, brief your wife on the three key topics not to bring up (e.g., the client’s recent divorce, politics, or their struggling subsidiary). Also, brief her on the one thing the client’s wife is passionate about—charity work, a hobby, their children’s achievements. Small talk at these dinners is a high-wire act. The goal is warmth without intimacy, curiosity without interrogation. What do you think about our branding dilemma
Consider the partner who never introduced his spouse to anyone, leaving her to eat alone at the table. Respect gone.