Your Reputation is Everything

Today is a cautionary tale of being bitten. Last month i found myself in a satisfying position where I was going to be given an exciting opportunity interstate for a number of weeks. In my delight I started making weekend plans and so forth. Then came the almighty pull back to reality. The constant of what is average. Companies talk about improving it all the time, but one thing will always remain; the issue with resourcing. I  found out the hard way that I was no longer going interstate and I was instead going to be sent remotely twice in three weeks. Naturally, I think I have grounds to be frustrated, although I will admit that part of the frustration is my own doing.

You can argue many points of view but when you have breakdowns in communication and failures in tracking resources, cracks will always appear. I forgot this, which is the root cause of my frustrations.

I could keep going about why this is such a big deal to me so that I can feel better about myself. However, I want to focus on the flow on effect. It's funny that because of one screw up that was out of my control, the flow on effect left an entire team pissed off. This now brings me to the point of this post; Your reputation is everything.

When things aren't going your way there are two ways you can handle it; mope, complain and essentially damage your reputation or brush it off, remain respectful and enhance it. 

There are many people who choose the former and it's quite obvious how their immediate and mid term futures will play out. I like to think I've chosen the latter and here's why.

Let me start by saying I am ambitious. This means that I must have a long term game if I am ever to be satisfied. As I've said before every interaction is a sales transaction (there is always one buyer and one seller) and the keys to completing the sale is the cultivation of trust. In my 'work place discrimination series', I focused on trust being a trade-off between intimacy and risk (link here). However, when things aren't going your way, the other factor that is in your control (reputation), becomes your everything.

So if reputation is your trading chip, then you must fully understand when it means to your employers. As such, the way in which you build your reputation is the key to your success.

I would say that you arguably have your greatest chance at enhancing your reputation during difficult times. Any Muppet can look good during good times but it takes a special person to perform during the bad. The good thing is that you don't have to be 'special' to be special if you consider a few things.

Humility

Yes everyone has emotions. However, the office environment is no different to the school yard politics you thought you left behind. As such, presenting the face of humility is the best poker face you should learn. You should still be doing whatever it takes behind the scenes (morally and ethically of course!) to get what you want but don't forget the benefits on outwardly projecting humility. Note: Don't confuse this with being two faced. You will get found out eventually and a long term goal is better than a short term gain.

Planning

Your first step after presenting humility is to understand why things are happening/or happened like this. It doesn't stop here though. Using this knowledge to develop a plan that will help you stay clam and focus during the next chaotic moment will be paramount to future success. Consider things such as the difficult personalities that will cross your path and how to deal with them.

You could also remember the saying, fool me once, shame on them. Fool me twice, shame on me. If this is the first time its happened you may be able to justify your actions. However, history has a funny way of repeating itself so there really is no excuse for not being prepared the next time.

Strong voice

You should never back down when you dislike something. However, everything has a time and a place. You don't achieve anything by fighting in public. Respectful strong words to those concerned in private are your most effective option. If you are still unsatisfied, consider gathering support to take the issue up the chain. Finally, if all else fails, then you may have to resort to Frank Underwood or Walter White tactics in order to be heard..

Keeping these things in mind will hopefully allow you to keep adding strings to your bow and you won't get blindsided like I did.

#Hanbaobao

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The Cupboard is Shut

Today I want to propose a way of explaining how we conduct ourselves.

Everyone has a cupboard which remains open whilst they care. The longer the cupboard stays open the more productive we are and the more we potentially can achieve.

However, at some point in the day, week, month, year etc, there will come a point where you just stop, snap and no longer give a f*Ck. At this point the phrase 'your cupboard is shut' is coined. By this, I mean you put all the f*cks that you once gave in a metaphorical cupboard and then shut the doors.

I find this interesting as everyone's cupboard will shut at different times. The challenge for you is to identify and understand how to reopen them. Success at reopening someone's 'cupboard' is a unique skill which will help you in the long run.

Consider the following types of people.

The Lazy Person

This lazy person's cupboard is always shut and probably has never been opened. They usually have a great ability to delegate and never take responsibility for their own actions. Unlocking this person's cupboard is a tricky task as this person is usually quite sensitive to criticism. Consider understanding what makes them tick. Find out the things that motivate them and you may find their cupboard is quite easy to unlock. Just never underestimate the value of the lazy person.

The Alpha

The alpha's cupboard is often a revolving door. It can shut the moment they've either got their way or presented their point of view. A common characteristic is the ability to always think they are right or at least think their opinion is more important. If this occurs, they often disregard everyone else's opinion. Fortunately, because the alpha's cupboard shuts so easily, it's relatively straight forward to get it to reopen. Just remember that fighting fire with fire may get you burned. However, letting the alpha scream until there's only smoke left may give you a unique opportunity to strike during a moment of weakness and smash the lock on their cupboard. Just remember, they will probably want revenge..

The Social Climber

The social climber is a very predictable self-centered individual. If you know one of these kinds of people, you will know that their cupboards only open for 'special occasions' and for short periods of time. It can often be frustrating being around this kind of person as you know when their cupboard will open and it will be for selfish reasons. As such, there's two beneficial ways to handle them. The first one is to treat them as 'toxic' and therefore distance yourself from them. The second is to leverage off their ability to be thick skinned. Use this as a unique opportunity to find out information, meet the 'right' kind of people and most importantly keep them close even if you truly resent them. After all, better the enemy you know, than the enemy you do not - GoT.

The Hard Worker

The hard worker is an interesting person, as their cupboard stays open longer than anyone else's. You may find that instead of having to unlock their cupboard, you have to get them to shut it from time to time, in order to save them from a meltdown sometime down the track. It's very easy to overlook the hard worker as they are often rather quiet and unassuming. This shouldn't make them any less important on your ring of keys. So remember to be caring as much as you are a political battler.

No matter how well you can unlock a shut cupboard, one thing is more important than anything else -  The ability to understand your own cupboard. There's a saying that you should 'get your own house in order before preaching to the choir.' I think cupboards are one such instance where this applies.

#Hanbaobao

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