Behaviors are powerful in business. Nothing is easier to notice than behavior. Here are some common mistakes we all make from time to time. I've made all of these mistakes at some point in my own career. Maybe even a couple times!
Keeping our mouth shut.
I've always regretted it when I said something - anything - when upset. It's a never-win situation when you talk while upset or angry. Whether it's an in-person conversation or e-mail, sit on it and do not react when you're upset. If you're truly upset or angry, there is no chance that you'll say anything that'll improve the situation unless, of course, you act like a phony or mislead people. It's never good to be a phony and always bad to mislead. Tomorrow comes soon enough. Just sleep on it.
Being overly serious.
There is such a thing as appearing overly serious. People get tense around people who appear programmed to be serious 24/7. Relax. We can be pleasant with people but intense in our work at the same time.
Acting busier than the world.
Have you ever tried to drill into someone's brain that you are super duper busy? The person could've probably cared less if you just pulled off five successive overnighters but you still overemphasize how hectic things are for you. Stop it. Think back to high school. The valedictorians were the guys or gals who appeared as though they were goofing off all the time, playing sports, socializing ... but would go home and study 10x as hard as the pretenders - all out of the public's eye, day in and day out. Not much has changed between then and now. Busy people don't have time to advertise and seek sympathy. Nor do busy people have time to force their self importance upon others.
Think about CEOs. No one deals with more episodes of anger through the course of a month or quarter than a CEO. And yet, they know when not to react much less overreact. CEOs get to where they are by being more serious than a heart attack and their intensity can burn through bare metal. But, don't the great ones look calm and pleasant all the time? And, who is busier than the CEO? I've never seen an accomplished CEO run around advertising how busy they are ... have you?
- John
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