Women in Business: The Art of a Solid Handshake

I was in a meeting the other day, there were 4 men present, another lady and myself. I extended my hand to everyone in the room for the business handshake, but a peculiar thing happened when I went to shake the woman's hand. She laughed, as though what we were doing was silly and then fumbled with the sunglasses in her hand to present me with a limp, half-assed handshake.

It led me to wonder - why is she reacting in this manner? At the end of the meeting she behaved the same way again, so I can only assume this is her reaction to shaking other women's hands. With my male co-worker she had no issue, but with me she was very awkward.

It could be that this is an isolated case, but in fact it's happened to me before. I think it's a confidence thing and perhaps a old-school attitude about women's role in business. It's like reverse sexism, or something.

There are "rules" to a good handshake - I don't really follow any of the traditional social etiquette. I just try to treat everyone the same. A solid, firm grip and a couple decent pumps of the wrist - that's really all I expect. I offer my hand when I introduce myself - I don't worry about who's more senior or junior or has what title.

I believe a person's handshake is an indication of their self-esteem. If you offer someone a limp, lifeless hand it tells them that you don't think very much of yourself and it can even give the impression that you don't respect them.

“Self-esteem isn't everything; it's just that there's nothing without it”

- Gloria Steinem