What is Your ID?

"Do you think that when they asked George Washington for ID that he just whipped out a quarter?" Steven Wright, Comedian

We will all be remembered for something in our careers and lives. Each of us has a different ID for the different facets of our lives. You have an ID for every area that you are socially involved. It can range from:

Family

Friends

Networking groups

Co-workers

Peers

Management

Customers

Church

Volunteer work

Gym

Restaurants where you eat

Your company

Online

Even your pet

I think you get the point. Anywhere you deal with people you have been given or earned a certain ID. We are going to focus on the ID you have in your current organization right now.

Do you know what it is?

Do you want to know what it is?

Who should you ask?

How can I change it?

These are important questions to ask yourself and others. Make sure you ask people that you can trust and someone that isn't just trying to "stick it" to you. Feedback is important as long as it is meant to help and not hurt. Sometimes the feedback meant to help hurts. In order to change your ID, you need a base line to work from so you can measure your progress.

Changing your ID is tougher than starting over. I know because I have lived in so many states and cities. Each move was an opportunity to reinvent myself. I could be the person I wanted to become. Changing your ID in its current state and location is tougher. It takes time. People are skeptical and are waiting for you to revert back to the person they know. Don't let that discourage you. Keep trying and sooner or later people will see the change stick.

Here are five tips to help protect or change your ID:

Don't burn bridges: The world we know is more connected than you can imagine. Especially in the Social Media world we live in today. With Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and more, people can learn a lot about you and find out your connections. Plus, the people you work with now could be your manager in a future endeavor or you could be their manager. I recently witnessed this in action. A manager friend had an interview who was a gentleman that he worked with about ten years ago at a restaurant. He was a real jerk to my friend. The applicant worked for a competitor and my friend ask me to interview him for sport to gather competitive knowledge. I loved the guy. He was nothing like my friend described. I told my friend he should take a look at him. He did and he hired him. This applicant almost lost a career opportunity because of his ID from ten years ago.

Listen: This is such a simple thing to overlook, but has such a critical impact on your ID. This is a weakness of mine. I have to focus on listening to others. If I am the one always talking about myself or things important to me, people give me the ID of self-centered or egotistical. If you listened more, people will seek you out and want to listen to your thoughts and insights. They will be more receptive of it. Then they could label you as a "go to" person.

Focus on what is important to them: This is where the listening comes into play. Find out about what is important to them. Then remember it. When you see them, ask them about it. If it is their business, focus on it. If it is their family, focus on it. If it is their pet, focus on it. When you remember the little things about them they label you as caring. I have a friend who had two different managers over the last four years. One of them always asked about his family. My friend loved this manager. He would work harder for him when he asked. The other manager primarily focuses on results and the job. He rarely asks about his family. My friend doesn't like that manager as much as the other. Both managers need the results. One got my friend to do more because he talks to him about what is most important to my friend, his family.

Smile and laugh: People love to laugh and smile and they love people that can make them. It is so important to laugh and smile especially with all of the negative news, daily stresses and frustrations of life. Knowing the right moments to do this is important too. Choosing your moments wisely is critical so you don't come off as a goofball. A smile is a simple way to brighten anyone's day. I had a school administrator name Dr. Koenig that would get you to smile. If he saw you walking down the hall and you weren't smiling he would say, "Thank you for your smile." It always made me smile. I never forgot Dr. Koenig and it was almost 30 years ago.

Give 100% daily: People are watching. They pay more attention than we think. It is important to give 100% each and every day. You want the people in your organization to know that you bring your best every day. Most people in leadership recognize this quality and tend to surround themselves with this type of person. When promotions become available they are more likely to choose you because you have a track record of giving your best. Here is a little secret too. People that give 100% of their best everyday rarely fail.

These tips will help in any social arena. Plus, they are all simple to institute and execute. Be conscious of the ID you are creating. It can be a career destroyer or builder. The choice is yours.

Article by Tim Scholze

Library for Sales is a resource for anyone in sales or sales management. You will find everything from quotes to short stories, interviewing tips and recruiters and more. You can find a motivational speaker or sales trainer and enewsletters that you can sign up for on the spot. Visit http://www.libraryforsales.com to find great sales tips or discover something inspirational.

To hire Tim as a motivational speaker or training for your company, visit http://ts-sealstraining.com for more information.