How Are You Known?

Understanding Your Impact in the Workplace

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, "How am I known?"

How do others perceive you in the workplace? Are you seen as approachable, open, curious, empathetic, and willing to coordinate efforts? Or do colleagues view you as cold, closed off, unwilling to compromise, and reactionary? Perhaps it's a mix, varying day by day. These perceptions are shaped unconsciously during our interactions with colleagues and staff.

In the beginning, you are a clean slate. Each interaction builds on the last, setting the foundation of your relationships. Your words and actions convey to others what they can expect from future encounters with you. But it doesn’t end there. Our relationships are interconnected, not isolated incidents. Colleagues talk, and through these conversations, a legend about who you are as a person, colleague, and leader begins to form.

New staff will enter into a workplace where your reputation may have already been established. Before even meeting you, they may hear your legend. They may come into their first interaction with you already equipped with an entire narrative and set of expectations about how you will behave.?

Every interaction we have either solidifies or shifts this legend, not just with those we directly engage but also with those connected to our colleagues and staff. This is what I call the Ripple Effect, Every action we take, or don’t take, leaves an impression that spreads outward, affecting not just those directly involved but also those in the broader network.

It's our responsibility to become aware of our ripple effect, understand its reach, and navigate the legend it creates about us. It's not enough - and often counterproductive - to lean on our intention in any given circumstance. Our legend reflects our impact on the world around us, not the intention we had. Instead, we must use our legend as a barometer that informs us how we must shift our behavior so that our impact matches our intention.

The Importance of Self-Awareness

Understanding and harnessing our impact is crucial for improving our effectiveness, and this is impossible without self-awareness. Over the past decade, I've sought ways to enhance leaders' connection to the human aspects of their roles. However, empathy isn’t something that can be captured on a checklist. In her book "Insight," Organizational Psychologist Tasha Eurich calls self-awareness the meta-skill of the twenty-first century. She states, “The qualities most critical for success in today’s world – things like emotional intelligence, empathy, influence, persuasion, communication, and collaboration – all stem from self-awareness.”

Therefore, while applying the lessons learned from this article, strive to amplify their effects by continuously developing your self-awareness.

Questions to Understand Your Impact

There are countless lenses through which we can view our impact on the workplace. To better understand the legend we create and perpetuate about ourselves, consider these questions:

1. As a leader, are my expectations for others clear?
2. As a leader, are my expectations for others reasonable?
3. As a leader, are my responses to others meeting or missing my expectations just?

Maintaining a clear “Yes” for each of these questions will help you effectively manage the majority of your ripple effect.

In every conversation, decision, and moment of interaction, you have the opportunity to reinforce or redefine your legend. By approaching each encounter with empathy, curiosity, and a willingness to engage openly, you can create ripples that contribute to a more harmonious and collaborative workplace.