Self awareness is one of the keys to thinking like an entrepreneur at work. When you are a corporate professional, it's easy to get caught up in the web of "I'm a follower. Tell me where to go and what to do. While you're at it, tell me what I'm good at." Even when you are in one of the most creative jobs possible (e.g. marketing), it's tough to be a non-conformist under pressure.
I propose that no one should ever know you better than you know yourself. If they do, you may lack self-awareness and that's the way to have one foot out of the door in your career.
I've seen a few folks in this situation and it's a tough position to be in. One day, a friend came to me and shared that he was under performance counseling. It was recommended that he complete a "360" evaluation where he could invite peers, managers, and people who reported to him to provide honest, anonymous (wink-wink) feedback about how he was doing. A number of responses later, he had a meltdown. His response was, "I just don't think anyone gets me. They don't know who I am." About 3/4 of the group had provided negative or neutral feedback, where he had expected only positive. I shared some advice with him then that I'll pass on to you in a minute.
He went on to say that he'd contacted several of the respondents personally to ask if they had a problem with him. Instead of thinking about how this may put them on the defensive unnecessarily, all he could see is the need for personal validation.
After listening to him rant for awhile, I asked a few questions. I asked him what he thought may have generated the responses, what his verbal feedback had been, and what did he think he would gain from contacting the respondents personally. His answers were "they don't like me; they don't know me", "negative, negative", and "I don't really know".
I shared this with him - if you hear feedback once, take what you need and leave the rest alone. If you hear it more than twice, it should cause you to take a really close look at your self and the perception others have of you. What can you learn from the experience? What might you do differently?
Unfortunately, he never saw what he could change; only focused on what others could do to understand him better. As a result, he was let go.
Coaching question for you: What can you do to best manage your brand in the workplace? Are there any changes in habits you need to make? What are you willing to observe about you so that you can get the results you want?
Tanya Smith, the Monday Makeover Coach helps corporate marketing professionals create dynamic personal action plans that will bring greater enjoyment into their work and personal lives. To grab a free copy of her special report, “10 Reasons to Think Like An Entrepreneur at Work” visit http://www.designyourwork.com.
