What’s your role?

Square peg. Round hole.

Have you thought about the many different types of situations and circumstances you find yourself in daily, weekly, monthly?

Personal and/or professional.

Sometimes the lines are clear which is which. Sometimes they’re not.

Who you are and your purpose in differing settings drives what you do next to achieve your desired outcomes.

It’s imperative to always be cognizant of your role(s) in any situation you’re in.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all.

One simple but specific question to ask ongoing is:

What’s my role?” Right here, right now.

Your role influences your responses, reactions, and interactions.

Be specific. Be honest. Am I the boss? A peer? A subordinate? The competition? A hired gun? A friend? The foe? A family member? A disruptor? The peacemaker? More than one of the above?

The types of “roles” you play at any given time are numerous and nuanced.

Answering the “What’s my role?” question informs your next behavior(s): What to do. What not to do. How? Where? When? If to do it now, etc.

Pause. Ask the question. Be objective. Proceed accordingly.

Stay tuned-in…

Click HERE for info on my Communichology course.

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Sixty-Nine (69)

How do you “come off” to others? What vibes do you send out? Ever really considered it? If not, you should.

These are simple questions that are often deceptively difficult to address objectively. A better question is how’s your “How?” This is asking if you’re truly aware of HOW your communication (verbal and nonverbal) is being received by others at any given moment. In-person, and online.

Missing social cues, misunderstanding social cues, or not caring about social cues are three BIG mistakes many make.

Some people are so drunk on their own self-delusion and self-centeredness, that they miss crucial social information happening around them. This “missing” negatively affects the quality of their interpersonal communication skills, and therefore, their outcomes in life. They’re figuratively blind to how negatively they come off to others many times. They’re then stunned when things don’t go their way personally or professionally.

Effective communication is chronically proclaimed as common sense, but its lack of demonstration is all-too-common. Everyone can benefit from a reminder to check yourself, and to check your ego. And then to make adjustments in the moment when necessary to appropriately and strategically conform to any situation to influence and affect your best outcomes.

Stay tuned-in…

Please share and click HERE for info on my Communichology course.

Get my articles and exclusive content with science-based insights to shiFt your communication from adequate to ass-kicking!


 

Fifty-Seven (57)

Winners. Losers. Posers. Pretenders

Who succeeds and who loses in life has plagued far greater thinkers than I for eons. What aligns the stars to make stars and successes of some who go on to become the envy of others? What magic needs to materialize for prosperity to become reality? Is it magic or luck at all, or is it literal and figurative manual labor? Is it an entitlement sensibility, or is it sweat equity?

One’s definition of “success” has to come into play prior to hypothesizing the answers to these questions. Does money matter? Does privilege or power matter? Does any of it really matter? It does to those who’ve chosen to matter. It does to those who’ve made things happen, made an impact, and reaped a reward. And it does to those who agonize over these answers. And I’m one in the latter category.

I have some very successful friends and colleagues who’ve accomplished amazing things with the same approximate amount of time on this planet as me. They’ve made a difference by making different decisions, to arrive at different destinations. Sometimes this is a jagged little pill to swallow. Call it envy… it wouldn’t be completely inaccurate. It can make me jaded and jilted at times if I allow it. And truthfully, I have my moments, but overall I’m over my disillusion of my current destination. I’ve done what I’ve done with the decisions I’ve made. I do what I do with what I’ve got. And finally, I’ll do what I’ll do to get to wherever I’m going.

My challenge right now, and yours too if any of this applies to you, is to continue to work on enjoying the journey more than the jury of your peers.

Stay tuned-in…

Please share and click HERE for info on my Communichology course.

Get my articles and exclusive content with science-based insights to shiFt your communication from adequate to ass-kicking!


 

Thirty-Eight

38

Positioning. Politicking. Panicking. It’s what people do; more or less; much of the time. This is all especially noticeable when change brings about uncertainty, unpredictability, and/or opportunity. Folks begin to behave in peculiar ways when the perception is that there’s something significant to gain or something significant to lose. You see, people either rise-up or retreat.

But it’s the rising-up that’s most interesting to observe. There are good, and not-so-good ways to advocate for, and assert yourself. No one has the market cornered on the best ways to go about this. Some to are able to pull this off with tact, poise, and professionalism. Others just end up coming off like bullies. Your approach always has to depend on the people, places, and particulars at play. This is why this stuff is so hard. It’s an art form. One size does not fit all. It requires you to be able to read people, intuit situations, influence others, and react in the best ways to further, not hinder your cause. It means you must have the ability to adjust your own communication and behavior on-the-fly, in the moment, and in response to others, in order to best influence your desired outcomes.

Most think they’re good at this; most are not. It’s kinda scary... How ’bout you?

Stay tuned-in…