One of the big stars of this year's Davos conference is International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde.
She's not just a star because she's famous and powerful. She is also getting buzz for her ability to be perfectly smooth and charming 18 hours a day, no matter how insufferable the folks are she has to deal with.
And that reputation, it seems, is deserved.
I was minding my own business in one of the Congress Center lounges this morning when who should sit down next to me but Christine Lagarde.
She was immediately enveloped in a scrum of photographers, TV cameras, and schmoozers, of course. And in the ensuing 20 minutes, she held impromptu discussions with a half-dozen folks who played musical chairs in the seat next to her.
It was impressive to behold the ease with which Lagarde made every dime-a-dozen world-leader-guy feel like there was no one more important to her in the world.
Here's one 45-second interaction:
