Tag Archives: sensitivity

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Respectful Behavior

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Broadly speaking, showing consideration and regard for someone or something constitutes respectful behavior.  Unfortunately, the interpretation of what constitutes consideration is subjective.

A lack of consideration and regard is not necessarily disrespectful, pro-actively behaving in a way that clearly demonstrates derision is.  As noted though, the interpretation of derision or disrespect can be subjective.

Respectful, why bother

In recent years many people have indicated they find the behavior of the current U.S. president (Donald Trump) less than respectful.  His supporters argue his directness (apparent disrespect to others) is one of the key reasons he achieves his goals.

Perhaps politicians have a higher bar for respectful behavior and Tumps behavior is more acceptable for a businessman than a politician (although subjectively I would question that as well).

If Trumps behavior is not at the level of respect expected for someone in his position (i.e., POTUS) but he is achieving his goals and applauded by his supporters, why should he bother being more respectful?

In fact, it appears he is rewarded for being abusive.

How to behave respectfully

Although respect has a subjective component, this is not a fair excuse for not acting in a respectful way.  We constantly receive feedback from others (both direct and indirect).

Respect simply requires us to be aware of this feedback and react accordingly.  Others constantly send messages about how they are feeling (happy/unhappy, comfortable/uncomfortable, confused/clear, etc).

Sensitivity to this feedback (regardless of our subjective interpretation of the context) and responding accordingly to create a positive context is all that is needed to be perceived as respectful.  It is that simple.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Self Awareness/ Confidence and Arrogance

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The ability to focus on yourself separate from the environment and other individuals, is the basic concept underlying the emotional intelligence attribute of self awareness.

Typically this requires an internal belief in the abilitiy to rely on yourself and your judgement.  You believe and trust in yourself.

Combined these behavioural traits can appear to others as an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions (i.e., arrogance)

Avoiding the Arrogance Label

While confidence and self awareness are powerful personal attributes, valued and invaluable tools for you to achieve your personal goals, being percieved as arrogant is something to avoid.

The ability to be both self aware and confident in a way that is not percieved as arrogant requires concious effort.  By default these behaviours can send the wrong message.

As you travel down the road of winning friends and influencing others (to quote Dale Carnegie) make sure you use your sensitivity to balance the way you are percieved.

That is, use your self awareness of others reactions toward you to influnce and change those reactions.  Manage your personal behaviours in a way that those you are interracting with like.

This is not a natural or unconcious approach.  Be fully aware of how you are behaving, constantly judge how others percieve it and change as needed to get the desired reaction.

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Entertainment

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Everyone has a unique individual perspective.  Sometimes peoples perspectives match closely and sometimes that is not the case.  The more consistently multiple perspectives align,  the higher the level of agreement.

During our daily activities, work or play we observe, analyze and conclude.   To clarify, I am using the terms work and play broadly.  While not absolutely correct, for ease of broad classification I mean these two terms to cover everything you do:

  • work are all activities you do for someone else for compensation (whether monetary, personal satisfaction or other)
  • play is everything that is not work, although some of these things that don’t conform to the definition of work, are not always associated in our mind as play because this term has a connotation to some degree of being fun.

Entertainment at Work

Entertainment is typically an event, performance or activity intended to provide amusement or enjoyment.  Typically most do not expect to be entertained at work.

An exception to this might be an usher in a theatre or stadium where the job could include the opportunity to watch the event or performance.

Entertainment should provide pleasure, which in turn can be a motivation to do a better job.  By this logic, encouraging and creating an entertaining work environment where the general overriding perspective is positive, could lead to better outcomes.

Workers regularly observe, analyze and conclude about the things occurring around them.   Shaping these perceptions toward the positive can be motivating.

Uplifting your Workplace Culture

Give some thought to altering the workplace perspective and increasing the entertainment levels within your organizational culture.  You may be surprised by the outcomes.