Eleanor Rigby – ‘wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door’
This week I’ve been coaching a couple of clients about the perception people have of them in the workplace. Listening to the words of the Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ this morning made me realise that many of us have different ‘faces’ that we wear, which could mean we present a different picture to the people around us: to our families, friends, the boss, our colleagues, clients, contractors…the list goes on.
Is it a bad thing to have different ‘faces’?
If you check out the Johari Window* you will see that the ‘window’ we often need to work on is the ‘open’ window, where we, and others, know more about the authentic person we are. Different people may need to know different things about us, but the key thing is, it must be part of the real person – not some made-up persona or characteristic that we don’t have.
Take some time to think about where you keep your ‘faces’ and who gets to see which.
Want to find out more about perception, and how to change the way you are viewed at work? Contact Liz Kentish, The FM Coach on Tel: 01778 561326 / 07717 870777 or email: coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk
*A Johari window is a cognitive psychological tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955 in the United States, used to help people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window)