It finally happened! I was asked at the checkout in my local supermarket if I had a senior’s card! How bad is that? I’m 51, but in my head see myself as a shade over 40. I keep in shape, and beside some follicle challenges, don’t think I look too bad for my age. But the young woman behind the counter had a different perception of me. To her, I was more like a shade over 60. Oh well, I had better get used to it, as it’s all downhill from here.
I have talked about your productivity brand in previous newsletters (see here). How you manage yourself, your time and your work portray a brand that others judge. I wonder if there is a gap between how you perceive your productivity brand, and how others perceive it? Do you think of yourself as really organised, whereas your peers think ‘Yeah, not so much’? Do you believe that you always work proactively, but others experience you as a bit reactive? Do you pride yourself as being on top of every detail, but your team see you as a micro-manager?
Building awareness around how others actually see you and your behaviours is critical if you want to perform in today’s workplace. The starting point is to take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself if your productivity habits are as up to date and effective as you might like to think. Is there room for improvement? What would it take for you to build a better productivity brand?
It might also be a good idea to ask a trusted few how they perceive your way of working. What do they feel you could tweak to build a better brand? Many senior executives contact me to undertake coaching or training because they have received feedback that their brand is being tarnished by a handful of unhelpful behaviours that are easy to fix.
Our workplace is constantly changing. The habits that held us in good stead ten years ago might not cut the mustard now. We need to keep evolving our systems, processes and habits to ensure we are working as effectively as possible.
Right, I’m off to work on some strategies to look younger again. I was thinking about some hair dye but realise I don’t have enough hair to make it work! Any ideas will be gratefully received.