. . .And I'm Still a Bitch

True story.  Former team member sees former boss after approximately a ten year hiatus.  Former team member tries to set a positive tone (names have been changed).

"Gloria, you look great. . .you haven't changed a bit."

Gloria responds, "And I'm still a bitch."

Would you like a bellman for that baggage?  Obviously there was some background to the comment, whether the team leader had genuinely been unprofessional or whether it had been a perception of the team members.   Regardless, that morning when Gloria got up and got ready for work, she took that mantle of "I'm a bitch" from that all-too-accessible place in her closet and wore it on her shoulders all day long.

So the question  is,  what mantles do you choose to wear to work that perhaps do not serve you, or the team, so well.    Domineering?   Timid?   Control Freak?     Whether these perceptions are something that we've earned over the years, or are things that  wrongful opinion have bestowed upon us. . .we still have the option of deciding whether we want to "wear" these mantles.

Often we get so in the groove of work that we fail to consciously think about what we really think of ourselves in the workplace;  I am of the belief that many people hate work so much because they hate themselves at work.   Their professional personas are so different than what they want to project that work becomes eight hours of being someone they really don't want to be. , ,or even like.

The good news is that we can, and should, choose each and every day who we want to be at work.   In this process we should be aware of the personality that we've created at work and honestly evaluate if that is the person we want to be.    We should also be aware of how much of our work persona has been bestowed upon us by others ("she's a workaholic, he's a perfectionist, they're pretty much unapproachable) and actively decide how much of that we want adopt. . .and how much of that we need to leave by the roadside.

The freeing thought here is that neither the past nor other's opinions should dictate who we are at work.

We should positively start each day with who we genuinely want to be in the workplace. .  . in other words, want we want to wear to work.  Collaborative?   Inspired?     Fun to be around?   One of the most valued leaders?  Just like you decide which shoes to wear, decide which mantle you wish to wear to work today.


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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders"  is available for e-readers, PCs and tablets from Amazon Kindle.