It’s one of the most maddening situations you can be in…
- “My manager doesn’t see me as someone who is ready for more responsibility. I want to be seen as more of a leader!”
- “I keep bringing in small clients but I want to be seen as someone who works with the big clients”
- “Every time I talk to my parents they still see me as a child”
Have you been there? If so, here are 5 strategies to break out of the box and be seen in a new way:
1. “The first sale is always to yourself”
If you want others to see you as a leader or as more of an adult, YOU have to start seeing yourself that way. It has to START with you, you can’t hope others will see you in a new light in order for you to feel that way about yourself.
2. Reverse engineer your outcome
If you want other people to see you in a certain way, be intentional. Start with: What do they need to think and feel when interacting with you in order to see you as ‘ready’, as ‘at the next level’, or as more of an adult?
Reverse engineer them into thinking and feeling that way. How do YOU need to show up in each interaction in order for them to think and feel that way? What are the qualities and behaviors that will help them experience YOU in that way? I call this idea your Horizon Point and in this audio I talk you through how to identify who you want to be.
3. Change your scenery
Start spending more time with people who see you in the new way (try to take a leadership position outside your role in the company, up-level your networking groups, etc). Being in these environments will reinforce the new confidence you are building. Sharing new ideas and displaying new behaviors will refresh your existing relationships and help people stuck in old mentalities be curious about your new approaches.
When you bring a strong positive energy and show noticeable success, people will naturally be drawn to you and want to know how you are doing it. Just like in the American movie when Harry met Sally, “I’ll have what SHE’s having!!”
4. Share your journey
When appropriate, share some learnings about how you’ve come to your new ways. This helps people notice and understand your new approaches, it doesn’t feel out of the blue (like just an act.)
5. Practice Impression Management
In some situations you might want to explicitly ask people to notice. For example, in your performance review you could say: “I’ve been wanting to display more strategic thinking, I wanted to check in with you if that is coming through? And what other parts of my role might I be able to show this quality even more?”
You don’t have to stay pigeon-holed. You CAN breakout to your next level!
