When you look at yourself and other people, especially in the job market, one of the main differences between you and other people is your energy and “big personality.” How do you navigate the corporate world like that? How has that process been?
Being a very passionate person who loves knowledge, brainstorming, marketing, the written word… that covers quite a bit of ground! So I am going to be enthusiastic and come across energetic, even if I’ve just woken up, because I care about those things
I get really involved with projects or whatever I’m working on too; I am not a spectator! When I start working, it’s a ride and part of having a unique personality. It’s okay to be wired this way and to embrace it and work with it. Asking questions where I get blunt feedback has helped. Learning how actions and words are interpreted, especially when they’re your own, is difficult but that’s part of my process.
Recently I’ve been defining attitude and applying that to how I drive, what I think the first thing in the morning when I have no immediate plans, when I decide what to do for fun and when I’m around exasperated co-workers who have been pushed to the limit. Studying attitude is almost cliché but I’m not going to let the corporate world dictate what I consider. Attitude and perspective are powerful. That’s where I can grow and bend.
What do you tell people you do so they understand who you are and what you do?
I read people first so that I can understand them and how they operate. Profiling them allows me to find out how to meet that person’s communication styles so I can tailor how I communicate with them. I’ve always done this. To better answer though, I am creative and analytical so I live life like it’s a story. “What would make a better story?” is what I posit in any situation. As a watcher, reader or any other story-teller, I “study” what a character will do.
I’ve spent my life creating what I call Character Profiles and reading people’s’ reactions and interactions. Basically, I’m an anthropologist at heart. So in my career I’ve been learning that with years of doing this micro work, it’s time for me to focus on the macro work; the big production. It’s not so much that I need to boost morale in the office but to take charge of a project or process and use my strengths to create it or make it better. There are a lot of skilled people out there and just because I can do some of the things they can do, doesn’t mean I should.
I like to see people grow into themselves. Each character fits into my stories and I keep the plot tight and entertaining while I show a character doing what he/she/it does best. I get to make intelligent decisions that tell a story. I love it!
Ending on a fun note, do you have any vices or pet peeves?
Breathing is my #1 vice. I’m absolutely dependent on it.
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