Quit Standing Beside Your Power
Sunday, January 18, 2009Listen up.
Do you routinely defer the floor to others before you are finished? Giggle when nervous or, worse yet, laugh uncontrollably? End your statements with a lingering request for support? Do you work to be seen as the always-agreeable-can-get-along-with-anyone person on the team? Start your recommendations with qualifiers such as, "I am not sure you are going to like this idea, but." Not ask all of your questions because you feel you may have taken up too much meeting time already? Do you do any variations of the above on a regular basis?
Yes? Well, stop that right now.
When communicating, be prepared and be professional. Articulate your position and state the reasons why. Don't soften a message that needs to be heard and don't think for a minute that you deserve any less respect than the person sitting next to you.
Quit standing beside your power and step into it. Now.
Reader Comments (5)
I've shared your post with my readers in my weekly Rainmaker 'Fab Five' blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2009/01/the-rainmaker-fab-five-blog-picks-of-the-week.html) so that they benefit from your message.
Be well Lisa!
I must say that this post has an influence on me because simply said I prefer the action type personality. But, as you might know, there are people who might get better results by being more diplomatic. And also, it depends of the person with whom your are talking to. If that person is not a very action orientated individual the more relaxed approach might motivate him/her easier. When I say this I have in mind LAB profile form NLP for example...
I enjoy reading your blog,
Traian
A bit brutal, yes, but it does get the message across. Why this approach? I kept my silence on certain issues such as benefits (btw I work in a new organization) packages - and to avoid being misquoted. But it blew out of proportion to the point of me being a victim of character assasinations from the staff. I am used to be associated as the Evil HR Lady (pardon me, I know that there is blog by the name of that but I can identify with it) and I am aware that it is part of the occupational hazard but by articulate about it make sense. I told them in a manner that is diplomatic but frank.