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Truth 49. How You Move Suggests Your Position in the Company
Although the days of aristocratic masters and humble
servants have largely disappeared, some remnants remain in
the way that people, often unconsciously, behave with others
whom they believe to be inferior or superior to themselves.
You need to be aware of how these behaviors can affect how
you are perceived at work. The impression that we make on
others has a subliminal component. When you act like a
servant, even in small ways, others may think of you as one.
Servants react quickly, highly responsive to the needs of
their employers. They may even jump up and run in response
to requests. At work, there are employees who also move like
that. If you’re one of them, you probably don’t see it as
such a bad thing. You may even have been praised for your
behavior. You’re likely to be a highly conscientious and
committed person, who others can count on to get the job
done. The problem is, though, that the very speed with which
you get things done can make you look like a servant, not
someone destined for a position of authority. It’s even
worse when you rush physically. If you want to get ahead at
work, you need to learn how to respond in a professional and
timely way and not move too fast.
What does not “moving too fast” look like in practice? To
begin with, there are small yet significant things like not
answering the phone on the first ring. A quick pick-up can
suggest that you have been sitting by the phone waiting to
receive orders. Holding off until the second or third ring
gives the message that you have other preoccupations on your
mind. Likewise, don’t get others accustomed to instant
replies to emails. Unless they’re urgent, draft your answers
and then put them aside to send at the end of the day. It’s
not about keeping people waiting, just making clear that you
have things of your own to get on with.
The same logic should be applied to assignments and
projects. Once again, there’s no need to drag your feet.
Just don’t rush to complete if there’s no pressure to do so.
Plan your work so that you can calmly complete the project
within the allotted time. That way, people see you as
dependable and competent, but understand, implicitly, that
they can’t take advantage of your good nature to make
unreasonable demands. When starting a new job, you can send
out that message from the start. It’s more challenging when
you want to change the habits of a lifetime in an existing
position. Even though you’re still performing above average,
people may notice the slower responses. Pre-empt this by
informing people that you have a big rush of work on and
will be pacing yourself more. That way be disappointed, but
they can’t accuse you of slack behavior.
People who are in control of their own working lives move in
a thoughtful and measured way. As you move into more senior
roles you need to work on perfecting that executive speed,
while still delivering the good results that got you there.
People will respect you for it. |
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