You may not be a VIP like a United States senator or a governor or a CEO, and you may not even be a school board member or run your own small business. But anyone can become an Important Person, sometimes suddenly. And when this happens, you need to know that different behavior is expected from you than from everyone else.
As an Important Person, you don’t just have a job to do; you also have a role to perform. It is a role that requires you to be composed, comfortable, confident, and considerate. It is not a role in which to be snooty or tyrannical. Chapters such as Looking Good, Making An Appearance and Not a Spectacle, Converse—or Worse, Ceremonies and Solemnities, Dealing with the Press Without Distress, Importants Abroad, and more will assure that—no matter how those around you may be behaving—you will be playing the role of Important Person to perfection, even if it is brand-new to you.
