Are You Being Judged?
“Judge a person by their actions, not by their words” is a saying in one form or another in many cultures. A person’s behaviour reveals more of who they are than any other measure of judgement. Talk is easy, delivery, not so much.
I frequently hear people bemoaning the fact that their business “missed out” on a deal because “someone” didn’t respond, or that they missed out on an opportunity to bid for similar reasons, or something else.
How we respond to things determines a lot how others perceive us as a person, business, professional, friend, intellectual, colleague, someone to take seriously. I know of one manager whom their subordinates don’t take seriously because they make an announcement that they will do something, or that something will happen, and then nothing does. This very same manager commented that the improvements suggested by a consultant for his business hadn’t been implemented. When I asked if he’d followed up, he looked surprised and answered that he had issued the instruction but it hadn’t been carried out.
There followed a discussion about the importance of following up to show that one is serious and to check whether people need additional help. His team were so used to him saying something and not following up that they simply hadn’t bothered carrying out his instructions.
Others constantly judge us (perhaps unfairly at times) on
- How we respond to queries
- How we treat others
- How others treat us
- Whether we follow up
… and a host of other factors. The scary thing is that, we may have acquired a “reputation” for something, but may not actually be aware of it as it’s all in our subconscious (and, perhaps, others’ subconscious as well).
Every inward message needs a response, even a “holding reply” to show it’s been received and is “on our radar”. After that, a more considered/researched response can be given to keep the relationship and the business if needed.
Self-awareness is critical in business. If we’re losing business, referrals, opportunities to pitch, it may be something to do with us. No reply is taken as “no interest” (although what usually happens is we see the inward email or message that someone called, think to ourselves that we should respond and then get caught up in the “firefighting” that is part of every manager’s life. Miss a few opportunities like this, and they no longer come our way.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My websiteprovides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Career, Customer Care, Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 17:36
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