I don’t think it has anything to do with smiling, go ahead and smile. At least with the russians I’ve spent time with, it just takes some time before people open up.

Don’t ask a question and completely ignore the answer.

Don’t give platitudes when they could spend some effort and saying what a team member did well. It’s the same in dating, don’t tell someone they are beautiful, go the extra mile.

At least I think this is what people mean by “fake” but I’m not sure.