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  I'm a make-it-happen guy working with big idea people. I design teams and orchestrate strategy so that great ideas I believe in get done.
  
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Is there a rule book or handy reference guide for explaining the when-to-shake and when-to-hug policy? It is becoming increasingly awkward for me as I meet more and more new people all the time. Add the whole business factor to the mix (new clients, old clients, vendors, etc.) and I’m your perfect candidate for coaching. For example:

If the person was a casual friend and then turned into a business client, do I shake or hug?

If the person was a business client and then turned into a casual friend, do I shake or hug?

If the person is family, I always hug. If the person is a friend of a family member, I shake. But what if the friend of the family member becomes more than the casual visitor around the family?

It seems as though when you begin the “hug,” you can never go back to the “shake” with the person. But if you keep things to a “shake” with someone it seems like you always have to keep it that way until the other person initiates the hug.

It always gets weird when I have someone else with me (like my wife). Especially when the frequency of familiarity is different for all parties involved in the greeting.

When I meet someone for the first time, I usually shake. When I meet the same someone for the second time and my wife is with me meeting them for the first time, what is preferred?

What about when the person you are greeting is of a different culture and you know they are particular about their greetings (more so than my white-boy American paradigm)?

What about when the person is a different age, particularly younger?

What about when the person works for you and they come back from vacation? They hug all their coworkers but do you hug your boss?

Maybe I just have a certain phobia for all this, but it seems like there should be some answers.

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