SHARING IMPORTANT SECRETS

It was an honor to present the keynote address in Boise at the 2024 conference of conservation professionals. 250 members of the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) and the Conservation Business Managers Association (CBMA) comprised one of the most engaging and welcoming audiences I have had the privilege to speak with about life inside murderous Colombian drug cartels. Those in attendance hailed from many States in the northwestern U.S. and Canada.

One might wonder what valuable takeaways my 5 years within the underworld delivered to this audience. Aside from giving them a true sense of what life and death entails within the cartels that cause more than 107,00 drug overdose deaths a year in America, I shared insights about the critical techniques a long-term undercover agent must master and employ to maximize their ability to establish rapport and communicate with murders that normally do not want to share their deepest thoughts. Those techniques are not just valuable to a long-term covert agent. They are also important fundamentals that professionals from all walks of life should master to enhance rapport and communication in the workplace and their personal lives.

The basic principles of enhancing rapport and communication mandate that, to maximize your professional and personal relationships, you must:

1.?????? Do your homework and determine the likes and dislikes of others

2.?????? Develop an operational plan/business plan about how to interact with others

3.?????? Educate yourself about verbal and non-verbal cues

4.?????? Find answers through silence and active listening

5.?????? Earn trust

6.?????? Use passive reinforcements

7.?????? Enhance key conveyances delivered by others

8.?????? Neutralize obstructers

9.?????? Train yourself to be the “Best You”

There are endless critical aspects and nuances related to the 9 principles listed above. The sooner you learn those nuances, the quicker you will maximize your chances of succeeding in your business and personal life.

I am so grateful to have met new friends at this conference and seen just a little of one of the most enchanting parts of our country.

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