Just be yourself...

·      Like many, I sometimes would like to get away from myself.

·      That is, as we all find out, easier said than done.

 

I didn’t change jobs very many times in my career – but when I did, I sometimes fantasized about making up a new name and persona. I found that too is easier said than done. We all have knowledge, skills, abilities, personalities, and styles – and all of those come out quickly when in a new situation. The things we learn in our early years shape who we are and how we do things; and that’s not so easy to change or fake. I’m a very outgoing guy and nothing I do can dampen that down. Because there’s an over-riding urge to not just be ourselves but show what we can do. Now flip this around: as a manager or leader, you have new people start all the time – you want to know what they know, how they do things, and what they need to learn so that you can quickly get them on the ground and running. It takes good coaching skills to discover those things. Be open, ask good questions, listen well, and help them identify these things for you. Don’t be judgmental, be sensitive to their worries and fears, show them that you care and value them, and create a bond of trust and respect. And let them know they need to relax and be themselves. That’s the best way to acclimate to new situations today.

 

Ernest Hemingway (1899 – 1961): American novelist, short-story writer and journalist who won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.