There are things about you that everyone knows to be true. These are the characteristics about who you are and they come from a lifetime of focusing on certain behaviors. When people talk about you, they will all agree on the type of person you are. While it is possible to work past people’s perceptions of you, it will take a lot of time, effort and energy to make it happen. It is important to keep that in mind if you are just starting out, since it will take time to regain the trust you deserve.
Speaking of trust, if people don’t feel like they can trust you, they will never do business with you. To help gain the trust of those by taking the steps to present yourself as someone that others are going to be able to trust. For this you need to be a genuine person who treats people well, while always being honest in every situation. You need to have people believing you in life and everything you encounter in it. When people see you, they must feel that what they see with you is truly what they get. If there are questions that come up, then there are going to be problems down the road.
This does mean you need to learn to be honest, but not cruel. When you are delivering information to people and it is bad news, you need to be soft in the deliverance. You can’t walk up to them and start screaming and yelling. In the case of a termination, you would bring a person behind closed doors and respectfully terminate them. Make sure you give them reasons why they are being let go, but don’t sugar coat to the point where it appears forced. They will respect you for the honesty you have given them in the long run.
With this, you also need to know that your professional presence also includes how well people like you. If you have a knack for putting people off because of being incredibly critical, over the top rude or angry all the time, that will impact your professional life. Even the person who tries to hide the fact that they are self-centered can be exposed in a moment’s notice and that can impact their future options.
Your goal should be to be someone who is liked and respected in the company. You need to give people reasons to genuinely like you and to open up to you. When you have this professional demeanor, people are going to be more receptive to you and your ideas and that will allow you to take things to the next level.
Your professional presence is something that you need to focus on building and growing all the time. Take the time to work on the areas mentioned and give yourself the chance to shine.
Margaret Batting 