What triggered this was a simple question from a friend – “How do I change how people perceive me?”
You can’t control how people perceive you – but you can control how
you position yourself. It’s a little bit convoluted if you think about
it. The biggest feedback you get about your positioning is from the
perception audit – a quick poll of how people actually perceive you. How
do you do that? Well for starters, you can LISTEN!!!!
Honestly, in the new world, it’s easy. All you have to do is to keep
your eyes and ears open. As an example, a quick look at the lists that I
have been put into on Twitter gives me a sneak preview of how people
perceive me. I can agree or disagree but everything I have said and done
has resulted in a set of perceptions for now.
Before
we go about how to change perceptions, there is ONE way you cannot
change someone’s perceptions of you – and that is by asking them to
change it.
Perceptions are created by assessments and even when people hear what
you tell them, they hear what they want to hear – based on your past
history, your accomplishments, your actions and your intentions to start
with.
With that in the background, here is a quick outline of how you can go about your task:
1. Change the conversations:
If you are switching from being a technology person to a marketer, then your conversations have to move towards marketing.
2. Change who you are having conversations with:
The old network already have a biased opinion about who you are what you bring to the table. Change the scene.
3. Reframe the earlier experience:
The old experience is not extra baggage especially if you can reframe
it to see how this serve as a foundation or a launch pad to your new
life. In the above situation, make a case about why you are unique using
the blend of old and new experiences.
4. Create valuable assets in the new space:
You can talk however loud you want but your work will speak louder
than that. Rather than saying that you have a new life, show them by
creating assets that will create those assessments in people’s mind.
5. Go the distance:
Changing perception is more like running a marathon than
participating in a sprint. People are jaded listening to hollow claims.
They have heard a lot of promises about so many things – only to see
that things fizzle out very quickly. If you make a premature
announcement about your new life, most people are skeptical about that
claim. Many think that this must be “another flavor of the day”
initiative from you. But when you go the distance, people slowly start
believing in what they see.
6. Invest to Accomplish:
It seems simple but it’s not. It’s a chick-or-egg situation. You
don’t get a project to work in the new world until you have the
experience and you do’t get the experience until you get a project to
work on. So it’s complicated. But you can break the cycle but “investing
to accomplish.” This means you start giving yourself for FREE to help
someone on a project (in the new space) to gain experience. You will
have to work twice as hard but it will be well worth the time spent.
and, last but not the least:
7. Believe in your new avatar:
If you don’t FULLY believe in your new avatar, people will see
through it. It has to first happen in your mind and then it will
translate in your actions. If it does not happen in your mind, your
actions will always be diluted or watered down.
All the best.