How often do we take stock of whether we're effective? Note, I don't say efficient - clocks are efficient but still go round in circles. By effective, I mean focusing on that core 20 per cent (or less) of customers, clients or actions that return 80 per cent (or more) of our results.
I am going through an identity crisis of sorts at the moment and I've noticed that it all leads back to the very fundamental realisation "How I Do Anything is How I Do Everything" - as a professional influencer and connector, as a father, as a friend and as a colleague.
Who is my audience?
It means that everyone is my audience - colleagues, friends, family and clients/customers. How I present myself to any one of those segments ultimately reflects how I perceive myself.
What do they want to know?
Everyone listed above wants to know the big, burning questions - who are you and what do you stand for? Are you credible and do you have your sh*t together? These are pertinent questions for a 56-year old client as much as they are for my 6-year old kid. And with little variation (even in the language I use) my answers should be near-as-dammit the same.
Does how I turn up position me in the right way?
If I'm not seeing the desired results - higher revenues, greater influence or a happier home - what am I doing wrong that is causing this? Fact is everyone else can't all be wrong, especially if I'm getting consistent feedback from differing segments of my life.
To attract the right sort of people and results, I need to position myself in a positive light. There is no point in professing to be an expert or empathetic collaborator if my words and actions are incongruent.
I'm Unique, Just Like Everybody Else...
Everyone has a unique take on life; sadly most of us (me included) have had that knocked out of us by time and experience. I recently realised this when I had dinner with one of my oldest friends who (kindly) reminded me of the underlying person I had always been. He also pointed out how far my current behaviour had strayed from that person.
It was less of a "What would Jesus do?" and more of a "What would the real you do?" moment. And it was powerful in its simplicity. So I'm trying to cut out all the noise and listen to my quiet voice - it's always there if sometimes drowned out by static.
What is your experience of how you're showing up?
It would be great if people reading this shone a spotlight on themselves - are you comfortable with how you present yourself to the world?
I would love to read your thoughts below on how you show up - is it genuine or something you've constructed? Does it sit comfortably with you? And perhaps most importantly, is it showing you the results you want?