Tanya Smith

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Self awareness is one of the keys to thinking like an entrepreneur at work. When you are a corporate professional, it’s easy to get caught up in the web of “I’m a follower. Tell me where to go and what to do. While you’re at it, tell me what I’m good at.” Even when you are in one of the most creative jobs possible (e.g. marketing), it’s tough to be a non-conformist under pressure.

I propose that no one should ever know you better than you know yourself. If they do, you may lack self-awareness and that’s the way to have one foot out of the door in your career.

I’ve seen a few folks in this situation and it’s a tough position to be in. One day, a friend came to me and shared that he was under performance counseling. It was recommended that he complete a “360″ evaluation where he could invite peers, managers, and people who reported to him to provide honest, anonymous (wink-wink) feedback about how he was doing. A number of responses later, he had a meltdown. His response was, “I just don’t think anyone gets me. They don’t know who I am.” About 3/4 of the group had provided negative or neutral feedback, where he had expected only positive. I shared some advice with him then that I’ll pass on to you in a minute.

He went on to say that he’d contacted several of the respondents personally to ask if they had a problem with him. Instead of thinking about how this may put them on the defensive unnecessarily, all he could see is the need for personal validation.

After listening to him rant for awhile, I asked a few questions. I asked him what he thought may have generated the responses, what his verbal feedback had been, and what did he think he would gain from contacting the respondents personally. His answers were “they don’t like me; they don’t know me”, “negative, negative”, and “I don’t really know”.

I shared this with him – if you hear feedback once, take what you need and leave the rest alone. If you hear it more than twice, it should cause you to take a really close look at your self and the perception others have of you. What can you learn from the experience? What might you do differently?

Unfortunately, he never saw what he could change; only focused on what others could do to understand him better. As a result, he was let go.

Coaching question for you: What can you do to best manage your brand in the workplace? Are there any changes in habits you need to make? What are you willing to observe about you so that you can get the results you want?

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Tanya Smith, the Monday Makeover Coach helps corporate marketing professionals create dynamic personal action plans that will bring greater enjoyment into their work and personal lives. To grab a free copy of her special report, “10 Reasons to Think Like An Entrepreneur at Work” visit http://www.designyourwork.com.

I had a very interesting interaction today. As a result of some of my recent speaking engagements, I had a young man view my profile and call to ask for time to meet for coffee. He left the following message:

“Hi, this is XXX. I’m calling because I saw your profile on the XXX site and I want to talk with you. I’m starting a new business and I’ve put a team together, preparing to get my LLC. Just wanted to talk to you and find out if you can tell me what steps I need to take to start my business of right. I’d like to see if we can meet for coffee for about an hour or so and you can just let me know if I’m doing the right things. Call me at XXXX.”

I’m typically clear on the target audience I work with, what business I offer, and other branding items. This was part of the reason I call the phone message interesting. In my business I work with mid-career corporate women as a career coach – yada, yada, yada. 95% of my business is done virtually and because I also work full-time and have small children, it is rare that I’ll set a face-to-face appointment unless it is with a paying client I’ve established a relationship with. My business is fee-based and my time is extremely valuable to me. I love sharing resources, but I’m not a business coach – I have instead invested in a number of experts in that field to help me grow my practice the right way.

I thought I’d share with you my personal interpretation of the message from the perspective of a business owner:

• I don’t really know what you do
• I don’t know who you work with, but you look like you can help me
• I want you to give me your personal time & share all your resources – free
• I don’t care about you. I just want what you have

Why is this important for you to know? Because we all have been the person leaving the voicemail at some point. Remember that when you are truly “networking”, you are connecting with people on a reciprocal level – one where you are seeking to understand the other person and establish mutual trust for an ongoing relationship. This cannot be achieved when the conversation is one-sided and it’s all about what you want. Here are some quick tips for making that initial contact:

1. Find out as much as you can about that person’s interests, what they offer, likes/dislikes, area of specialty (e.g. their website, online profile);
2. Think of what resources, referrals, and skills you might have that would complement what they do;
3. Respect the person’s time. Try starting out with, “I’d love to connect for just a few minutes to find out more about what you do”. You can ask questions to find out more about extending the discussion when you have that initial meeting and you can find out if there are fees involved

In case you’re wondering, I did return the call. I left a message that clarified my expertise, and I offered a “complimentary” 10-15 minute call to talk with the person & determine if there are any resources I could offer that would help him with his business start-up. Maybe he’ll call back or email, maybe he won’t.

Coaching questions for you – in what ways have you learned to really connect with someone who has a resource you want? What gifts, talents, or resources do you have to “barter with” in a networking situation? How will you best utilize this information next time you make a connection?

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Tanya Smith of the M.B.A. Woman helps mid-level corporate women create personal development plans that will bring greater enjoyment into their work and personal lives. To grab a free copy of her special report, “10 Business Behaviors that are Essential to Advancing Your Career,” visit http://www.mbawoman.com.