What can you do when perception hurts your career?
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Have you ever been told that you are coming across as difficult in your interactions with colleagues in the workplace? One person can give damaging feedback about you and it can change people’s perception of you.
This happens often in the workplace and it can really impact your position. Perception often dictates whether you will be promoted or moved into the position you desire. If you are vying for a position and you are perceived in a negative way, it can hurt your chances of getting the job.
It can be tricky to manage how you are showing up in the workplace. Here are a few ways you can change perception:
Listen to feedback - Are you hearing the same feedback over and over again? If so, you need to do something about it. In most cases, your manager is trying to help you when they give you constructive feedback.
Become self-aware - we often don’t like to accept the negative feedback we receive, but sometimes it is true. You have to take a step back and think even if this isn’t true, this is how I’m being perceived. We usually do not want to agree with the feedback that isn’t favorable, but you need to really think about how you may be showing up to others.
Ask for more feedback - If you are continually passed over for promotions even though your feedback has been good, you need to ask for more details or examples. Ask your manager directly why you are not getting promoted and what you need to do differently to get promoted in the future.
Work on your personal development - Are there classes you can take to assist in your development? There are many classes that can help. I find presentation skills or executive presence classes can help. Anytime you are recorded doing a presentation, it gives you a view of how you are showing up to others. Take advantage of looking at yourself to determine if there are a few changes you can make. Do you have confidence when you speak? If not, you may be perceived as not ready to take on a more senior role.
It isn’t easy to play the politics game in the workplace. You do want to be authentic and be yourself, but sometimes you need to tweak your behavior in order to get along better with others. For example, maybe you are a very direct person and you communicate with colleagues in a direct way. Your colleagues may find this off-putting and may not want to work with you because of this. This can show up in your feedback and negatively impact your performance.
Sometimes small changes to behavior can help, but the first part is recognizing the behavior. If you ignore the feedback and pretend it’s just other people’s opinion, you won’t allow yourself the chance to grow and develop your career. This is especially true when you are looking at moving from an individual performer into managing a team. You need to develop skills and behaviors so that you are being perceived in a positive way.
If you do make changes to your behavior and you are still not moving forward in your organization, it may be time to leave. It may not be you. It could be that you are just not the right fit for the company. When you go to a new company, it’s your chance to start over again. You can create a new persona and you have a clean slate.
Take time today to listen to feedback that your manager or your colleagues are giving to you. Even though you may not want to agree with it, it is how you are being perceived. Small changes you make today will help you be successful tomorrow.
Here’s to your success!
Best,
Rene