ever wonder how others perceive you? no? you ought to, it just might be seriously effecting your leadership opportunities.
try this exercise: get a recorder and take it into your next meeting or a larger gathering of co-workers. push ‘record’. after the meeting is over, go back and listen for yourself. see what you find. chances are you don’t need a recorder at all. you probably have a good enough memory to think about your contributions in a group setting.
were you cocky, being overly sure of yourself and your answers? were you quiet, not contributing at all, but sitting in there, hoping just to get through unnoticed? possibly you were overly quippy and sarcastic, chimming in when not needed, derailling the meeting off topic and drawing attention to yourself. Or were you argumentative, trying to prove your point well past the time when everyone had already understood where you were coming from.
“I don’t care what other people think!” could very well be the most damaging thing a young leader says, thinks or lives out in their first leadership environments. you need to care, at least some. as i once heard and then learned from one of my mentors, at some point, you will need the respect and attention of those who you aren’t considering right now.
so try this… find some balance.
if you are quiet, slowly try to contribute. if you are loud, practice silence. if you are sure of yourself, consider the ways of those around you who are succeeding but are nothing like you. if you are argumentative, focus on results not debates. and if you are new, take a back seat to those who are there already — & take a few notes while you are at it.
What do practice if you are sarcastic?