In my last blog, I wrote:
“The truth is we all play ‘parts’ in our job and sometimes our interpretation of that role – with all the challenges we see ourselves to be up against – sometimes causes us to act in a way that blurs the line for people about who we really are.”
This was a really nice way of saying that sometimes we allow the challenges we face at work to justify us acting like a jerk – but we still want (or expect- oy!) others to see and relate to us “as we really are”. “As we really are” means 2 things:
- as our “good” traits
- as our “good” intentions
Of course, most people will pardon isolated incidents of our “bad” behavior – especially if they know and like us. But if we do this too often, they will start to believe – and then of course – treat us – as we are behaving – like a 1st class jerk.
So how do you avoid blurring this line for people?