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President Donald Trump will announce a decision on whether to withdraw from the Paris Agreement next week, he said Saturday. But he already told confidants he plans to pull out of the historic accord, Axios reported Saturday night, making the United States one of just three countries to reject the global pact to reduce the planet-warming gas emissions.

But on Sunday talk shows, a White House Cabinet secretary said Trump’s decision is not yet final, and a top-ranking Republican senator urged the president to keep the U.S. in the agreement.

Defense Secretary James Mattis said Trump was “open” and “curious” about why the other members of the Group of 7 most industrialized nations ― Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom ― cared about combating climate change, which the president has dismissed as “a hoax.”

“I’m quite certain the president is wide open on this issue as he takes in the pros and cons of that accord,” Mattis said on CBS’ “Face The Nation.”

The assessment echoed National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, who said Friday that Trump’s views were “evolving.”

Trump did say the environment was important to him, Cohn told reporters, according to pool reports. “He talked about environmental awards he received in the past. So he didn’t want anyone to think he doesn’t care about the environment,” he added.

Aside from a prize issued by a golf association to Trump’s New Jersey golf course, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker team found no evidence of any environmental awards. 

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a rare outspoken GOP proponent of climate science, said he would advise Trump to remain in the voluntary agreement.

“If I were him, I’d stay in the agreement and make it a better deal for worldwide business centers to improve the climate and make it a better deal for business,” Graham said. “If he does withdraw, that would be a definitive statement by the president that he believes climate change is a hoax. Stay in the deal, make it a better deal, would be my advice.”

Quitting the Paris Agreement would cede diplomatic and economic ground to rival superpower China, which is aggressively courting trade with other countries and investing at least $360 billion in renewable energy over the next four years. Diplomats warn that exiting the deal would also relegate the U.S. to the status of a “rogue country” and a “climate pariah.” Only war-torn Syria and Nicaragua, the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, have not signed the Paris Agreement. Withdrawing would mean “the leader of the Republican Party is in a different spot than the rest of the world,” Graham said.

“It would be taken as a statement that climate change is not a problem, not real,” he said. “That would be bad for the party, bad for the country.”

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Ending a 56-year gap, Sofia Coppola became the second woman to receive the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival as the gala wrapped up on Sunday.

Russian Yuliya Solntseva won for “The Story of the Flaming Years” in 1961. Coppola was honored for “The Beguiled,” a Southern Gothic horror that updates the 1971 Civil War drama starring Clint Eastwood.

“I was thrilled to get this movie made and it’s such an exciting start to be honored in Cannes,” Coppola said in a statement.

Along with praising “my great team and cast,” she thanked Universal Studios and one of its speciality divisions, Focus Features, “for their support of women-driven films.”

Nicole Kidman, a star of “The Beguiled” and three other Cannes selections, received a special prize marking the French festival’s 70th anniversary.

The coveted Palme d’Or, one of filmmaking’s most lauded honors, went to “The Square,” a surprise choice for a festival that typically favors intense dramas. “The Square” is a farce about an art museum staging a radical exhibition that sparks a social crisis. 

Pedro Almódovar, the acclaimed director of “Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” and “Talk to Her,” headed this year’s jury, which also included Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, South Korean director Park Chan-wook and Italian director Paolo Sorrentino.

Here’s the full list of winners. Many of the hits at Cannes factor into the race for Oscars.

Palme d’Or: “The Square,” a Swedish art-world satire directed by Ruben Östlund

Grand Prix: “120 Beats Per Minute,” an AIDS drama directed by Robin Campillo

Jury Prize: “Loveless,” a Russian missing-child drama directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev

Best Actress: Diane Kruger, “In the Fade”

Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, “You Were Never Really Here”

Best Director: Sofia Coppola, “The Beguiled” 

Best Screenplay: a tie between “You Were Never Really Here” (written by Lynne Ramsay) and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou)

Camera d’Or, honoring the best debut feature: “Jeune Femme,” directed by Léonor Sérraille 

Best Short Film: “A Gentle Night,” directed by Qiu Yang

70th Anniversary Prize: Nicole Kidman, who starred in four Cannes titles (”The Beguiled,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” and “Top of the Lake: China Girl”)

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A large percentage of companies, including most of the Fortune 500, have corporate mission statements. According to Randell S. Hansen, mission statements are designed to provide direction to an organization. It acts as an invisible hand that guides the organization and explains the organization’s reason for being. In short, it answers the question, “What business are we in?”

Whether building a business or a personal brand you absolutely need a mission statement. As a content writer who is constantly hired to write bios and about me/us sections for websites, one of the most common things I encounter are businesses or brands without mission statements. Having a carefully crafted mission statement is one of the first things businesses/brands need to invest in, way before they begin to sell their products or services.

You wouldn’t build a house without first creating a blueprint of where the walls will go or where the rooms will be. You wouldn’t buy furniture and decorate the house without ensuring that the roof is properly built and the floors are properly laid, so why would you start a business without laying the foundation first? I know that sometimes the excitement overwhelms us and we’re eager to get started, but you have to crawl before you walk. If not, you’ll end up flat on your face.

When I get contracted to work with someone to create what is generally the first thing prospective customers and clients look at (bios & about me/us sections) I ask “What is your mission statement?” Not surprisingly, more often than not, they don’t have one. If you aren’t clear on your own or your business’s purpose how will you make sure that you don’t sway from your core values. Mission statements serve as your compass and help keep you aligned with your purpose.

Mission statements may seem overused and unimportant in the scheme of things, but having a well-crafted one ensures that you never veer too far off from the reason you started in the first place. Below are three reasons why you should definitely have a mission statement.

KEEPS YOU FOCUSED. When you have a mission statement you in essence are defining why it is your business/brand exists. Your mission statement clearly states your purpose and it highlights the problem your business/brand seeks to solve.  Additionally, it can give you a framework for evaluating opportunities and deciding whether they fit your core business model and strategy.

DETERMINES THE BUSINESS/BRAND DIRECTION. The mission statement helps keep you and your business on the right track. It will help guide you back to your business’s main purpose should you find yourself veering off your intended path. It keeps everyone clear on the direction of the organization. And as Andy Stanley says, “It’s your direction, not your intention, that determines your destination.”

SIMPLIFIES THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.  A clearly defined mission statement sets important boundaries which enable you to delegate both responsibility and authority when necessary. When everyone on your team is clear on the mission it makes those seemingly difficult decisions easier. When you’re clear on your mission you measure your potential choices by how closely they align with your core beliefs and purpose. Mission is to the business what a compass is to an explorer or a map is to a tourist. It provides a framework for making the tough decisions and it provides the boundaries you need in order to stay on the path to your preferred future.

If you’re not sure how to get started writing a mission statement start by defining who you are. Identify your customer base. What services, products, or skills are you offering? How and where are you offering it? What sets you apart and makes you different? Then start working on putting that into a well thought out mission statement. Keep it short, simple, and specific.

If you’re still unsure about how to write your own mission statement, then Google mission statements of some of the most successful businesses and brands that you admire and respect. For example, consider this example from the world’s dominant search provider:

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

It’s short and specific, yet it remains flexible enough that the company can grow and expand beyond being just an Internet search provider. Remember, remaining flexible and open to change is what keeps the most successful companies successful.

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Had French President Emmanuel Macron been playing close attention, he would have recognized quickly just how fraught his coming exchange with Donald Trump was to be.

The two leaders had met briefly earlier that day, exchanging a firm, prolonged, “not innocent” handshake that drew attention for its unbound intensity. Now, hours later, as Macron approached Trump and other world leaders at the opening of NATO’s new headquarters in Brussels last week, the U.S. president offered several non-verbal cues indicating his desire to re-establish the global pecking order.

The first came well before he and Macron were face-to-face. Walking toward each other, Trump reached out to King Philippe of Belgium, who stood directly to his right, to offer an impromptu handshake. The King seemed caught off-guard. For good reason. No one in their group was making any such gesture.

Trump’s offer seemed out of place. But Florin Dolcos, a University of Illinois associate psychology professor and faculty member at the Beckman Institute’s Cognitive Neuroscience Group, suggested it was a deliberate. And the intended audience wasn’t Philippe but Macron.

“That’s a signal Trump was sending: ‘This is where you should come first because I’m the alpha here,’” Dolcos said. “‘Iinitiated with the other guy.’”

Moments later, another cue. With the two still walking towards each other, Trump looked up at Macron and opened his arms ― a signal typically reserved for family and friends, not two world leaders who’d just met. Once again, Dolcos suspected Trump was making a nonverbal signal to his French counterpart.

“I think it is a learned behavior. Because typically you don’t do that. You do it with people very close to you in natural circumstances. Not people you don’t really know,” he said. “In a way it could be seen as a trap.”

Macron didn’t fall for it. Instead, he greeted a few others before making his way to Trump. When he did finally arrive, Trump pounced, taking Macron’s hand and pulling it violently away from his body with enough force to turn Macron roughly 50 degrees.

Dolcos again saw a tactical play. Unable to torque his arm, Macron was rendered powerless. He attempted to pull away and Trump refused to let him go.

Macron put his other hand on Trump to pry himself loose. And when he finally freed himself, Trump gave him a pat on the shoulder, ending the exchange squarely on his terms.

Another bizarre, dramatic, uncomfortable handshake with a world leader was in the books, bouncing its way across the Internet to the wonderment of all.

“It goes down to asserting dominance,” said Dolcos. “Why he wants to do that? I don’t know. It looks, to me, like he is trying too hard…. It looks ridiculous”

If you want to better understand Donald Trump ― his presidency, his approach personal diplomacy, even his psyche ― simply follow his hands.

Those hands, and their unexceptional digits, have been the source of immense insecurity, prompting him to lash out at critics and boast about his genitalia. They give insights into his marriage for the way they search ― ever so subtly and often unsuccessfully ― for his wife’s embrace. They tell us about his comfort in office as he attempts to find his footing on the world stage. And they illustrate his preoccupation with imagery and the role it plays in advancing his agenda.

“I just think the president is very cognizant of the optics of what it looks like at these multilateral meetings with world leaders,” said Sam Nunberg, a former Trump aide, “and I even think [the handshake] is symbolic to the America First theme of his presidency and campaign.”

The Trump handshake has become most unique greeting in all of politics. Before he nearly tore off Emmanuel Macron’s arm, Trump crushed the fingers of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

When he unveiled his Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch during a East Wing ceremony, he followed suit by yanking the Justice’s entire body three times in his direction.

Trump memorably refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she visited him in a testy Oval Office exchange.

And he went grip-to-grip for an uncomfortable length of time with an obviously prepared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.

In a short time, the Trump handshake has become so legendary that world leaders have been compelled to prepare in advance. Trudeau seemed to have done his homework and so had Macron during his first interaction with Trump. Hillary Clinton prepared for a variety of over-the-top Trump gestures in the lead-up to their debates. But her aide, Philippe Reines, who played Trump in debate prep, said the handshake never came up in practice sessions.

“I never tried to rip her arm out of its socket,” he told HuffPost.

Trump’s approach to the handshake is a combination of brute force and strategic discomfort. He doesn’t so much shake the hand as he consumes the very arm of the person he’s embracing. The goal, it appears, is to establish a geographic zone and bring his counterpart into it.

Trump almost always initiates, with a semi-open palm thrust at his counterpart. Often, his eyes dart not to the person across from him but down at his hand itself ― an early hint at where the drama will be. When the gesture is joined, Trump clasps firmly and tugs violently inward. Sometimes, he motions up and down but frequently he will use a lumberjack approach (back and forth). Occasionally, he’ll twist his counterpart’s hand in odd directions or use his free hand fortify the clasp. Rarely does he let go first.

Unexpected recipients often seem stunned. Some, like Abe, show visible relief when it ends. And those who prepare in advance recognize it for what it is: an overt power play.

“It’s an intimidation tactic. There are self-preservation strategies and intimidation is one of the main ones,” said Frank Bernieri, an associate professor in the psychology department at Oregon State University, who has written on the influence of the handshake. “This is perfectly consistent with Trump. He pretty much says that’s what I do to make a deal.”

This is perfectly consistent with Trump. He pretty much says that’s what I do to make a deal.
Frank Bernieri, associate professor, psychology department at Oregon State University.

Handshakes were not invented as vehicles to exhibit dominance. In their earliest depictions, they were seen as means of sealing alliances and exhibiting intimacy. Research says that handshakes can leave lasting impressions about a person’s conscientiousness and that different variables can affect the efficacy of the handshake. What is less agreed upon is the ability of handshakes to assert authority.

The handshake as a power move has been mythologized in film and popularized in the world of business. But some researchers say that as a practical matter, it doesn’t actually work.

“Such attempts would usually be ineffective because the main point of a handshake is to establish a sense of mutuality and mutual respect,” emailed Howard Friedman, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior and a professor in the psychology department at the University of California, Riverside.

“[S]omeone who uses or attempts to use such a power or intimidation handshake either 1) already has the power and would also simultaneously be employing other status signals like elevated height, invasive touching, higher-status clothing, and other dominance cues from face, voice, gaze, and posture; or 2) is misjudging the likely reactions of the other person and/or the audience,” Friedman said.

Trump doesn’t abide by this theory. His handshakes are clear attempts to assert alpha dominance.

Take when Trump greeted Tajikistan president Emomali Rahmon. In this incident, Rahmon played the role of the aggressor, grabbing and shaking Trump’s hand in the same manner as Trump did with Macron. What impressed Dolcos is what came next. Instead of pulling away ― which is the natural inclination ― Trump stepped closer in. Doing so allowed his arm to once again be torqued, which, in turn, allowed him to re-establish physical control and affirm his stature within Rahmon’s own orbit. It was a “rebalance of the power play,” as Dolcos put it. “It is a little bit of body rotation so it looks natural.”

Those close to Trump say they don’t believe he rehearses these moments. But Dolcos suspects that he does. The patterns are so apparent and the gestures so demonstrable that it seems only natural that Trump has thought them through. That’s true even in instances where there is no handshake at all.  

At an earlier stop in his trip abroad, Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After the two sat for the camera, Netanyahu stood up first and offered his hand. Trump ignored the gesture, walking the other way.

Observers assumed that Trump either didn’t notice his counterpart or got lost in the moment. Dolcos had a different theory.

“It is another way of establishing rank, which is that he is the one initiating,” he said. “‘I’m not going in when you initiate. I’m probably ignoring it and then I’ll come back. This is now when we are doing this. Not when you initiate it.’”

The most curious part of Trump’s handshake is that he reportedly hates shaking hands. He has called such greetings “barbaric” and “one of the curses of American society.” He is a rumored germaphobe who dispenses Purell sanitizer.

And yet, despite those hesitations, Trump entered a field where the handshake is even more fundamental than in the world of business. Politics is built on handshakes.

Neil Makhija was a body man for Joe Sestak when the Democrat ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the Senate in Pennsylvania. He recalled how his boss would weave back-and-forth, side to side during July 4th parades instead of walking down the middle of the street. He wanted to shake every hand he could touch.

“There is a tendency among politicians that if you reach a voter they will kind of see the light,” Makhija said. “You think the more people you touch, the more likely you will win.” 

Makhija went on to become an advance man for Vice President Joe Biden and, once again, handshaking found its way into his portfolio. Whenever Biden would meet a politician or dignitary, his aides would game plan the meeting, including that initial greeting.

“There is no question that when you have an advance team for the White House, every single detail is discussed in terms of where the shake is going to happen, what is the backdrop and what’s behind you and all these things,” said Makhija.

Unlike Biden or Sestak, Trump doesn’t see the handshake as a means of establishing cordiality or mutuality with his counterpart. He doesn’t conceive of it as means of winning votes or facilitating diplomacy. He imagines it as a display of alpha-ness. This makes him unique among U.S. presidents and a marvel for the YouTube age. Then again, what else would one expect from Donald Trump?

“If we are talking about his handshake, it is kind of analogous to us talking about him when he takes his finger and says, ‘You’re fired,’” said Nunberg. “There is nobody who is a better showman and more cognizant of the optics than I’ve ever worked with than him.”

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How many people have you spoken with today? Chances are that most of them lied to you—and that they did it more than once. It’s a hard fact to accept, but even your closest friends and coworkers lie to you regularly.

University of Massachusetts psychologist Robert Feldman has studied lying for more than a decade, and his research has reached some startling conclusions. Most shocking is that 60% of people lie during a typical 10-minute conversation and that they average two to three lies during that short timeframe.

Most of the people in Feldman’s studies don’t even realize all of the lies they have told until after the conversation when it was played back to them on video.

People lie in everyday conversation to appear more likeable and competent. While men and women lie equally as often, they tend to lie for different reasons. “Women were more likely to lie to make the person they were talking to feel good, while men lied most often to make themselves look better,” Feldman said.

“A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.” – Mark Twain

New research by Dr. Leanne ten Brinke at the Haas School of Business suggests that, while most of us have pretty good instincts when it comes to recognizing liars, we tend to talk ourselves out of believing (or, at least, acting on) what our instincts are telling us.

We hesitate to call liars out in professional environments because we feel guilty for being suspicious. Calling someone a liar for no good reason is a frightening proposition for most.

Thankfully, Dr. Brink’s research points to objective, well-documented physiological and behavioral changes—or “tells”—that we can use to make accurate assessments of other people’s truthfulness.

Keep an eye out for the following signs, and you won’t be taken advantage of by a liar.

1. They cover their mouths. People often cover their mouths when lying. A hand on the mouth or even a touch of the lips shows you that they are lying because this unconscious body language represents a closing off of communication. When lying, people also instinctively cover vulnerable body parts, such as the head, neck, or abdomen, because lying makes them feel exposed, vulnerable, and open to attack.

2. They repeat themselves and provide too much detail. Liars hate silence, so they often try to fill it up by talking more than they need to. They provide far more information than was needed or asked for. Sometimes the longer you stay quiet the more details liars will throw in to support their story as they try to convince you and themselves of their deception. Liars will also repeat phrases over and over again as they struggle to buy time to gather their thoughts.

3. They prepare for an escape. In an unconscious attempt to find an escape route, people who are lying often angle their bodies toward the door if they’re sitting, and if they’re standing, they may even move closer to the door. They may also change their posture from relaxed to erect or guarded as their bodies perk up in unconscious preparation for an escape.

4. Their words and body language don’t match. It’s easy to lie with words, but our bodies know (and show) the truth. A clear sign that someone is lying to you is when their words are saying one thing and their body language is saying something entirely different. For example, someone is telling you a sad story about the personal struggles that made them miss work, yet they’re smiling while they’re talking and their hand gestures and body posture are animated and excited.

5. Their breathing changes. People reflexively start breathing more heavily when they lie as lying causes changes to heart rate and blood flow. Sometimes liars will even have trouble speaking as the mucous membranes in the mouth dry out as part of the body’s response to lying.

6. They change their typical patterns of eye movement: They say that the eyes are the “windows to the soul.” That’s especially true when someone is lying. But there’s a catch: it’s not where the person is looking that matters, but a change in direction. Some people, for instance, look up and to the right when they’re remembering information, but down when they’re lying. For other people, it’s the opposite. A change in eye movement can be a very strong indicator of lying, but you have to know the person’s typical pattern first. That makes this tactic more suitable to use with people you know well, or at least, interact with on a regular basis. However, there is one eye movement “tell” that’s pretty universal: people who are lying often look toward the door, their unconscious escape route.

7. They get aggressive. Liars will often get aggressive in a conversation for no apparent reason. Sometimes liars will become hostile and point aggressively in your direction. Other times liars will maintain excessive eye contact without blinking, in an abrasive attempt to appear truthful.

8. They fidget. Fidgeting is a clear sign of nervous energy. Even practiced liars worry that you won’t believe them, so they release that nervous energy by playing with their hair, tapping their feet or fingers, pulling on their ears, and more. Shuffling the feet is a common expression of nervous energy associated with lying. The feet start moving because the liar feels vulnerable and the body wants to flee.

Bringing It All Together

Before rushing to any conclusions, be certain to consider what constitutes normal behavior for the person who you think might be lying to you. The indicators above only have meaning in the context of a person’s typical behavior. If your colleague has ADHD and fidgets constantly, you can’t take the fidgeting as a sign of lying. And some people, such as psychopaths, don’t demonstrate these behaviors because they don’t feel nervous or guilty about lying. One British study showed that the incidence of psychopathy among CEOs is four times that of the general population, so it’s not as unlikely as you might think.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Want to learn more from me? Consider TalentSmart’s emotional intelligence training or check out my book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0.

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