Building an Awesome Personality @ Work!!!

Your strengths and your weaknesses determine your personality at work. Allow me to do a little myth-busting before we get into it. Someone with fair skin tone or gorgeous or well-built, tall body structure does not necessarily mean they have a great personality… Your personality is the mirror reflection of your behavioral and social imaging skills.

You will come across people with different behaviors. Some are submissive (will say yes, all the time J) Some are aggressive (Will resist and will make sure they have an opinion) and some are assertive (mix of submissive and aggressive behavior). The behavioral traits come natural to us however there are many skills that can be acquired for an effective personality.

Let’s quickly look into some tips on how we can build an awesome personality at work.

Be an Effective Communicator – Remember, People form an opinion about you and judge you when you start speaking! So, if you really want to build a great personality, make sure you possess effective verbal and non-verbal communication. Keep is short and simple that’s the best way! Keep practicing, improve your vocabulary and control your speech tone. For complete guide on effective communication please read my blog on “Tips for Effective Communication through Verbal and Non – Verbal Communication” https://ziyamulla.blogspot.com/2020/06/tips-for-effective-communication.html

Be Confident – Do you avoid difficult situations at work? Are you sensitive to criticism? Do you often get anxious? Do you withdraw from social situations? Do you not believe in yourself? If the answer is “Yes” then believe me you are low on your confidence level… So, what needs to be done? – Step one – Start practicing and visualize yourself as you want to be – Visualize a fantastic version of yourself achieving goals – Believe me this work!!! You will boast your confidence level. Step Two – Question your Inner Critic – So far you had been criticizing yourself and it hasn’t work, Stop doing this, instead start approving yourself and see what happens… Step three – Very important – Overcome the fear of rejection – No one can make you feel inferior without your own consent!!! Everybody faces failure in their lives, it’s not only you… The most successful people in this world have failed multiple times but that did not stop them to achieve their goals. Keep trying guys, you are pretty close to goal.

Be a Good Listener – Do you know MNC’s spends millions of Dollars every year just to train their employees to become effective good listeners? This is the most important soft skills all must possess because your productivity completely depends on your listening skills however unfortunately most are bad listeners. People listen to RESPOND but do not listen to UNDERSTAND. Very few people are good listeners and it helps them to climb the ladder better than rests. I will be soon posting a separate blog on improving our listening skills.

Control Your Emotions – Great personalities are always calm and composed. They do not get too excited or panic while handling different situations. No better example than of Mahendra Singh Dhoni… No matter what situation he and his team are, you will always find him calm and composed and yes that’s the reason he is so much-loved around.

Work on Your Body Language – You will be surprised to know, 55% of the information you convey is through your body language. Work on positive body language and get rid of negative body language. A genuine smile (not a fake one J), a firm handshake, a straight posture, an eye contact (do not stare J) and positive head nods is a good way to start with. Being loud, tapping your fingers and foot during meetings, yawning, crossing of arms while sitting should be avoided as they convey negative communication.

Be Polite – The best people are always polite and humble. In fact, their politeness and simplicity make them great personalities. No better example than of our own Ratan Tata. I’m sure everybody would agree.

Do Not Make Fun of Others – Its quite common that people make fun of those who are little timid, shy or weak in communication. Please don’t this, you are not helping yourself by making fun of others. Nobody likes these kinds of people. Instead, be mature enough and help others improve.

Don’t Possess a Prejudice About Someone – Has it ever occurred to you that you just hate someone at work by just looking at their faces or attitude? You do not even know that person or never interacted but still hate that person? You do not like their face? If this is familiar then it means you do possess a prejudice about that person. Do not carry a prejudice because you may be wrong and you won’t be able to build a great personality.

Be Punctual – Your time management is another key to build an effective personality at work. Your punctuality showcases your seriousness and interest towards your job. Punctual people are highly respected no matter what position they work at.

Appearance, Personal Grooming and Hygiene – According to a research conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, upon meeting someone for the first time we form an opinion of them within the first 30 seconds. You definitely want to create a good first impression, right? Work on your appearance, personal grooming and hygiene. Most importantly your hygiene because people do judge you. They will perhaps not tell you on your face but they do keep noticing.

Check Your Attire – Its always wise to wear according to your office culture. This adds to your personality.

Keep Upgrading Yourself – You would not be able to build an effective personality until and unless you keep yourself updated with times. We are living in a digital world with great technological advancements. So, if you really want to be in race of discussions, upgrade yourself, keep improving and adding knowledge. Remember, learning is a continuous process. The day you stop learning, you are as good as a dead person.

Meet New People – Always make an effort to greet and meet new people. This gives us an opportunity to engage with different types of people and empowers us with new experiences. We learn so much when we meet people. This adds value to your personality.

Possess a Positive Mindset – Believe me guys – Negativity will attract more negativity. Avoid office gossips and do not hang out with negative people, It won’t help, in fact you too would become a pessimistic person. Instead, surround yourself with positive people around you and see what happens, your mindset would change. Positive people always possess an awesome personality.

Be a Little Fun – Last but not the least – Be a little fun at work. Be humorous, crack few jokes here and there. Nobody likes serious people.

With this thought I’ll take a leave. Please do let me know your thoughts on the comments section below. Until then its good bye from me. Stay safe! Stay Healthy!