Nan Leaptrott is the founder and President of Global Business Consultants, a company that offers customized coaching in all areas of business protocol, with clients ranging from the CIA to the Fortune 100 elite to individual entrepreneurs.

She returned to Erskine College, where she was a member of the Class of 1957, this spring for Alumni Weekend, and presented the library with a copy of her recently-completed book, "Rules of the Game: Global Business Protocol."

The book likens the art of successful international business dealing to playing and winning a game. She said that for an American businessman to be successful, he must learn the rules of the game, but they change from country to country and culture to culture.

Leaptrott's book not only tells what these rules are but explains why and how they evolved.

Dividing the world's cultures into three broad classifications Ð tribal, collective and pluralist Ð she outlines characteristics typical of each and, based on these characteristics, provides "player portraits" with whom Americans might come into contact.

In the book she gives advice on everything from how to shake hands, when a gift might be appropriate, international dining etiquette, and the importance of avoiding hand gestures to how to arrange a business introduction and whether to have presentation materials translated.

For the businessman who is in a hurry and hasn't the time to immerse himself in the sociological background of a culture before his meeting, one chapter serves as a quick reference guide, with specific information about more than 65 countries summarized and arranged alphabetically.

The book is designed for American businessmen, but has an appeal to anyone traveling to another country or to someone simply wanting a better understanding of different cultures around the world.

Leaptrott grew up in Anderson, S.C., where she attended Hanna High School before entering Erskine College in the 1950s. "I liked the academics there and what Erskine had to offer."

While at Erskine she met her husband Dick who was studying at Erskine Theological Seminary. She was married and left Due West for Charlotte where her husband got his first pastorate. She finished her college degree at Queens College, majoring in journalism.

"I've always given Erskine credit for my grounding, and all three of my sons attended Erskine," Leaptrott said. "I am so thankful for the values I received at Erskine. The strong Christian influence was important in helping me be all I could be as a human.

"My teachers guided me, encouraged my writing and spurred me on to use my talents in a very real way," she said. "I look back on that time as some of my best and some of the friends I made there are the best."

Based on her experiences in international business, she said, "The grounding you get at a school like Erskine is what the world needs today. The community at Erskine helps shape people's lives for the better. My association with Erskine and the ARP Church has been really exciting."

After college she began writing freelance articles for business magazines and newspapers about American business communication and how it differed on the East Coast, the West Coast and in the South.

"People then started asking me to write training modules and to facilitate training for them," she said. "I soon realized business people didn't know how to work with people from other countries as well as needed."

Leaptrott used her experiences as a global traveler and expertise as a business protocol consultant to develop the company she now heads in Pinehurst, N.C.

She has served as an advisor to the diplomatic and private arenas, as well as to the multi-national corporate world. Her writings include regular columns for "Worldwide Business Practices Report" and "Carolina Business Journal."

In one "Carolina Business Journal" article, Leaptrott wrote that, "A recent survey was done among the top Fortune 500 companies. It showed that 80 percent of the presidents, vice presidents and chairmen of the boards had impeccable manners. They also were self-confident in all their encounters.

"When middle management was surveyed, that percentage dropped to 40 percent. And among the young, newly-hired executives it was an appalling 12 percent.

"To be on the winning edge in the professional arena for the 1990s, it is essential to have business and social savvy. Board rooms across corporate America demand it: Good business dictates it: Business social involvement decrees it.

"Every day companies are weeding out those who lack this savvy. Many CEOs tell me they are simply not hiring professionals who have not mastered this new form of professional polish."

When asked what good manners are, Leaptrott said, "It is certainly more than knowing which fork to use. Good manners are knowing basic rules in a myriad of encounters. When to make correct introductions and how to position yourself in a room full of strangers are just a few. Being self-confident and helping others to feel at ease are basic requirements.

"Our bad manners are nothing more than unskilled habits," she said. "All habits are learned. Anything learned can be unlearned. There is no need for enlightened professionals to muddle through in mediocrity. We must learn to position ourselves as powerful professionals."

Leaptrott's skills have impressed her clients. William E. Simon, former United States Treasurer, said, "When professionals are familiar with particular mores and customs, he will earn his client's trust, avoid misunderstandings and strengthen and expand business relationships."

Dr. William Vincek, Worldwide Director for GlaxoWellcome, Inc., said, "Nan's workshop of global diversity is the most business relevant training I've ever had as a worldwide director. She added value directly to the bottom line of global business negotiations."