Very often, people don’t think about their image at the office. But it is so much more valuable than almost any amount of hard work you do.
Rachel had everything going for her. She was a senior manager at a very crucial role at a Fortune 50 company and had very high visibility. Her job gave her the opportunity to interact with the top level management who got to see how good she was. She was extremely smart. She knew her shit. And she worked her ass off. In fact, she had everything going for her.
But she was a complete failure at interacting with her peers and employees. She constantly yelled at her employees and she never backed away from confrontations with her co-workers…especially if she knew that she was right. Every month, there would be a new drama between Rachel and someone else at her office. She became the object of much office gossip. “OMG..Did you hear what Rachel did this time….?”
Over time, she became known as an asshole at the office. Some of her employees quit because of her and people would go out of their way to avoid interacting with her. Eventually, the senior leaders heard complaints and she was let go.
Rachel lost her job not because she was incompetent or lazy. She lost it because of her image at the office. She was an asshole that no one wanted to work with.
The saddest part is that she never saw it coming. She only focused on being good at her job and thought that working 70-80 hours a week would be all she needed to get noticed and to get promoted. What she failed to recognize was that no matter how smart or how hard working she was, her value at the company was nothing if she couldn’t get along with the people she worked with.
The importance of your image at the office can not be over-emphasized. Every interaction you have with your employees, your peers and your bosses should leave a positive impact. The collective impressions of these interactions, no matter how small, would eventually build your reputation. And trust me…reputation travels a lot farther and faster than you can.
Building a good image doesn’t take much. All you need to do is below
a) Dress well
b) Speak clearly and confidently
c) Be reliable – don’t promise anything you can’t deliver and deliver everything you promise
d) Be good at your job…especially if others depend on you
e) Don’t be late on deliverables. Communicate immediately if you will be
f) Control your impulses. People remember the stupid shit you pulled at the happy hour or at the last holiday party.
g) Treat everyone…even the doorman…nicely. DON’T be a douche!
Share your insights on how to build a good reputation at work…
The Korporate Klimber 