If you asked a group to describe the prototypical “Good Ol’ Boy,” I would imagine the adjectives returned would not be that flattering.
From The Free Dictionary:
A man having qualities held to be characteristic of certain Southern white males, such as a relaxed or informal manner, strong loyalty to family and friends, and often an anti-intellectual bias and intolerant point of view.
From Wikipedia:
Good ol’ boy is a slang term used in the United States and Canada, either to self-identify as or to refer to a male, usually white and of Northern/Western-European descent, who lives in a rural area and/or subscribes to a traditionally “rural” lifestyle. The term is generally thought to originate in the rural areas of the southern and southwestern U.S. While other terms such as redneck, hick, yokel, “Bubba“, and “white trash” are also applied, though usually pejoratively and are often interchanged with “good ol’ boy,” the “good ol’ boy” is more of an idealized image of rural Americans.
Politically, good ol’ boy refers to representatives that engage in cronyism.
Cronyism.
In the business world, references to a “Good Ol’ Boy Network” are at best a way of hinting at exclusion through ignorance, and at worst an accusation of intentional discrimination.
So how do you identify the Good Ol’ Boy?
- Manner of dress?
- Speech?
- Homespun stories?
- Tone?
I was having lunch with a coworker the other day, and she was talking about her supervisor. She called him a real Good Ol’ Boy, but he was surprisingly effective as a communicator. Everything he communicated was through anecdotes and story, and even years later she remembered just about every detail of what he said.
The Story Factor
We already have more facts than we can process. Story persuades and motivates.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Annette Simmons’ book The Story Factor, where she outlines the kinds of stories that resonate with people, and the way you can use them to communicate more effectively.
Now look at the guy in the suit above. His clothes are communicating a belief in the prevailing corporate culture.
Listen to the drawl. It’s measured, yet accessible.
Consider the anecdotes and tales he weaves. They’re about past experiences that happen to pertain to the issue or challenge at hand.
And listen to the tone – a good story is meant to entertain and engage, while also informing.
Too many people are willing to look at the above attributes and write off the rube for being too slow and too folksy to be of any value.
And when you get a bunch of those folksy, homespun rubes working in upper management, then it’s clear they all got there by conspiring to trample on the careers of their faster-talking, smoother and hipper competitors! Thus “Good Ol’ Boy” enters the collective consciousness as a pejorative. Psychologically, it’s easier to write them off as evil and manipulative rather than understand they might just be on to something effective.
Maybe there is a thing or two to learn from them. Particularly when they get results.
