Be your Best You!

Act in the role you seek. That’s right! Be the obvious choice when your dream position opens up.

I’ve met and interviewed so many people in my career, who expected promotions but didn’t get get the job and felt blindsided by the idea of negative feedback.?

If you’ve read my post previously, you know my favorite phrase is “self awareness” Over the years, I’ve figured out that I enjoy a good essay, some of my statements may come across as harsh and I find humor in very strange places. That’s me….. often misunderstood. However, after various positions and working with large groups, Ive learned how to deliver a message. How to relate to my audience and how to overcome feeling blindsided and more importantly, how not to blindside others.?

Often, we don’t see ourselves in the same light as our supervisors. That’s unfortunate. I believe this happens as a result of one or more of these few things:

1. You don’t know yourself.
2. You aren’t self aware.
3. Your supervisors haven’t spent enough time getting to know you.

You control the first two and you can work to improve the third but the point is You have the power and control and a voice within each.

I can safely say that most of my career, I’ve been a people pleaser. I generally do a good job and I’m pleasant and often jovial. However, people pleasers aren’t exactly bringing their full selves into the workplace. For me it was reflected in me wearing my hair pulled back into a bun for years and wearing pantsuits. Side note: I was always pretty fashionable until I moved into more senior management positions and then the outfits became more political, you had to look the part! People expected the General Manager to look a certain way. Overtime I started taking notes on positive behaviors, the bosses that I admired and why I liked, enjoyed or respected them. I conducted myself as a value based person. When you turn the switch from “people pleasing “ to this is how I like to engage and how I like to communicate you raise the bar on how you are perceived.

Oprah says you teach people how to treat you. In order to change perception, you have to be self aware. No one judges me harder than I judge myself. But what I’ve learned about myself over the years is that, I’m possibly too direct. Sometimes I laugh at wrong moments, if I start nodding in agreement, I’m either thinking “wrap it up” or I’ve already come to my conclusion and I’m ready to move on…. it’s a courtesy nod. (Yes, I’m also laughing that I shared that.) Also, I don’t sweat the small stuff and nothing in retail life should have you worked up or so bothered that you can’t remain calm.?Two things you can do often to really self assess is to ask for feedback and face the things you fear the most head on. Having a difficult conversation to me is the ultimate challenge. I feel so accomplished after I’ve delivered a message and felt it was received and that person didn’t have a melt down or they thank me for helping them see it from a different perspective. I’ve also learned not to take things so personally. It’s not always about me.

So now you know yourself and you are self aware. You know your likes and dislikes and what gives you the most anxiety and what excites you most. Now what??

Now you can Leverage the pros, the positives, and the strengths to shine more brightly. To fully support your supervisor or leader, to align with the direction of the company, and mostly to better display your readiness for promotion. Share with your leader what you are doing for your own development. Share recaps of initiatives you are leading and seek out opportunities to collaborate and work with others.

These are your superpowers. You have the ability to change perceptions and earn the position you truly seek. Be fearless!

I’m Cheryl Warren, Retail executive with over 20 plus years of experience. Sharing my stories, thoughts, insights and advice on how to make the most of your retail life.