By: Lori Stone, APR
Director of Business Operations & Communications
Center for Business Excellence
“Just for a moment, I was back at school and felt that old, familiar pain…” Do you ever have something happen that brings you back to that insecure place we all have deep inside? You know the feeling – like when you had a stream of toilet paper stuck on your shoe trailing behind as you made your oblivious way down a crowded high school hallway.
Or, maybe, it was the time a high school science teacher strongly suggested to you in front of your classmates (all boys) that you really should be down the hall in Home Ec learning how to bake cookies instead of the rationale behind Newton’s laws of motion. True story.
Well, I had that feeling a few weeks ago during a meeting. A gentleman entered the room, shook every man’s hand and walked right past me like I was vapor.
Perhaps, he was tired. Maybe, he was in a bad mood. Better yet, my suit may have blended in with the wallpaper and he couldn’t detect me.
Nonetheless, his dismissive behavior made me feel like shouting out, “Hey Mister, I can’t believe it’s 2010 and that just actually happened! Hello, my name is Lori Stone, someone YOU (yes, you) should know!”
Of course, I didn’t do that. My point is, his actions created my perception which became my reality in that moment. And yes, I admit, I stewed over it longer than I should have.
So, I did a little research and found an interesting exercise to help us put our best foot forward when interacting with others. I hope you find it useful:
http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?NewsEntityId=190566
I was in high school in the 70's and took auto shop, power mechanics, drafting and home ec. The young teacher in power mechanics (lawnmower engines) thought it was great I was there. The other older instructors did not. Having gone through many career changes since and now unemployed, it amazes me how even now, everything but your skills seems to matter more.
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