Monday, August 11, 2016
Perceived Superiority
"He's so great," said the executive assistant to the CEO of one of the
largest companies in the world. "He sits right in the center of the
table, where he has the best view of the entire room. He always knows
what's happening in the room, and everyone else feels he's such an
important person. He sits there, so conscious of how good he looks, and
so important to the company."
A day later, the assistant is no longer with the company.
The perceived superiority of the CEO is one of the most common problems I see among
consultants, and is very difficult to change. In a consulting situation, I'd say that this type of perceived superiority
is only a problem if the perception is incorrect. For instance, you might see an
executive assistant who shows up to work every day, with no apparent
explanation as to why, except that he's "just doing his job." If this is
the case, it's really no problem - the CEO has made it clear that it's
his job. However, you might find this CEO inviting an employee to
dinner when he hasn't even talked to him, or inviting you to a party
where he's going to spend several hours making you uncomfortable and
hard to talk to.
The problem is the perception that one person is superior to
another. That might not be the case, and it might not have anything
to do with the person in question. It could be that this person is
just a pleasure to work with, and the company knows that. There is a
way to deal with this, and it begins with the person who actually is
inferior.
Whenever you have something to offer, you must demonstrate a
certain level of competence, and that competence must not be exaggerated.
The most commonly used method of showing competence is through
demonstrating how you carry yourself. Most people have good personal
skills, but they rarely demonstrate these to others. I'll leave the
concept of personal competence for a later post. For now, it's enough to
know that everyone knows that someone who talks loud, or who flounces
around the office, is not a competent person. If you want to be taken
seriously, you have to demonstrate competence through how you carry
yourself.
The perception of
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