I was in a meeting last week when all of the sudden the person 2 seats down from me starting playing Candy Crush on her iPad. Whaaaaaa? Right there in front of everyone. No fear. Not a care in the world what anyone thought. Instantly everyone near her started looking around like WTF?! I think most of us were in shock by the blatent lack of respect. And she went on to play game after game after game during the 2 hour meeting. I was beyond annoyed. It was rude. It was disrespectful to the host running the meeting. It was immature. It was distracting. It was lame. It was amateur. But mostly … it was totally damaging to this persons personal brand. What do you think all of us sitting around this person were thinking? Do you think we’d refer a client to them? Or recommend them for a job? Or take them seriously? Or ever believe they are really listening on that conference call? No way. This person is checked out. And so is their personal brand. You have to be so careful of how you are perceieved out there in the world. Because perception is reality and first impressions are made in seconds. And whether you like it or not … people’s perceptions of you are super important in life AND business. So are you protecting the greatest asset you own? YOU!!! Here are some BIG lessons I’ve learned to help you stay in control of how you are percieved:
- The Company You Keep – One of my favorite quotes “You pick your friends, not your family.” So be mindful of who you put in your inner circle. Sometimes you are guilty by association, so watch out!
- Gossip Girl – There is nothing more dangerous than getting caught up in the gossip circle. And I know, it’s hard. You want to be someone that is “in the know” but you have to be brave enough to not participate in gossip. Trust me, the more you shut down this behavior, the less the gossipers will come to you.
- Get on the NO! train – I measure everything by this simple statement: “If it’s not a HELL yes … then it’s a hell NO!” If you say yes to things you don’t want to do or hang with people you don’t really want to hang with, then you are only hurting yourself because you won’t be “all in” and you’ll likely do a half ass job which hurts only you in the long run.
- Biz and Pleasure – I love a good glass of champs after a long day. BUT (and it took me many years to take this seriously) you have to be careful of how much you let loose when doing biz. It’s important to network and socialize with colleagues and clients … BUT … just know you are dancing with the devil and send yourself to bed early so you wake up energized with no regrets.
- Love Lockdown – I am a total heart on my sleeve kind of girl. I trust that everyone has good intentions and I have no problem laying my heart (and my dreams) on the line with people. But you have to be careful how much you share and who you share it with. Not everyone is rooting for you. Not everyone wants to see you succeed. So guard your heart and protect your asset.
- Pro vs. Amateur – The Pro takes steps 1-5 seriously. If you are a pro you care about your business and your brand. You don’t care what others think. You go to bed early to dominte the next day. You are mindful of who you trust. You know how to seperate business and pleasure. The Amateur does not care about steps 1-5. The Amateur plays Candy Crush in a row full of business colleagues.
Leave a Reply