Getting Along with Colleagues and Getting Ahead at Work.
As a Creative, expressing yourself is second nature. Sometimes, however, it seems as though you speak a different language than your colleagues: no matter how intently you attempt to express yourself, they can’t seem to understand you. Below, three ways to help others “hear” you.
Want more career inspiration? Click here to see Part 2.
Just as every country has its own language, each sector within a company often has one, too. Familiarize yourself with the vocabularies of the individual fiefdoms within your company: finance, accounts payable, legal…You don’t have to be fluent, but making the effort goes a long way toward helping them understand your point of view.
Inspiring, catalyzing, defending…. anything that requires a committed, passionate stance is your forte. Sometimes, however (in particular when persuading, selling, or negotiating) you will get farther by stating your case and then saying… nothing. It won’t be comfortable for you, but it gives others the breathing space to come around to your point of view.
Because you express yourself well (and frequently), others may not always give weight to your words. In addition, Creative types can be flaky, so it’s possible you may have lost credibility by not following through… once or twice. From this point on, recognize that your word is your bond. Don’t leave yourself open to being discounted by not following up and following through.
