Chick Operating Officer

Formal business dinners with people you have just met, perhaps with a significant transaction at stake, can be awkward affairs.   Being the only woman at such an event never really phased me, but it took me a while to work out the added responsibility associated with ordering first.  The waiter is always going to address the question of “What can I get you to drink?” to a woman first.  It’s up to us to set the tone for beverage choice, and this can be fraught in contemporary America.  If I order sparkling water, will my guest feel awkward choosing a double martini?  Will I seem uptight, out of touch, or pregnant if I avoid alcoholic beverages?  Conversely, it might not be a good idea to work on a tumbler of Jack Daniels while the clients sip Diet Coke.  Continue reading ‘Ladies First’