I rarely watch television, but when I do its usually either college football or some learning channel like Discovery, History Channel, TLC, or A&E. “Dog the Bounty Hunter” is a reality TV program about Duane Chapman and his bounty hunting team tracking and capturing fugitives, mostly on the Hawaiian Islands (but they have started branching out). Call me crazy, but I find the show absolutely engaging simply for the fact that I believe Dog has probably the very best people skills I have ever witnessed, and the way he does it is so subtle its very hard to see. Nearly all of his work revolves around dealing with people and communication skills.

There have been countless episodes where he tracks down a fugitive and during the apprehension he is yelling, cussing, wrestling with, talking down to, and by the time they drop the guy off at the jail house they are hugging and crying together like they have been best friends since birth. He is able to convince close friends and even family members who are initially helping their friends hide, to turn them in. Its a trip to watch.

I haven’t picked up all of his strategies, but I know this is something he is consciously doing, because we see it over and over. From the way they dress (to “appear” as police officers, which they aren’t), to the “attitude” of the take down, to calling his enemies “my brudda”, to why Beth talks to some informants and not to others, to offering them to use their cell phones before the drop them off, to offering them a smoke, to praying with them, etc. I do believe what he is doing is sincere, extremely effective, and also very planned and intentional. You can never underestimate good people skills and if you want to see someone who is extremely good at it, this is your man.