Whether you love Barbie or hate it, there's something to learn.

Most people have been told since they learned to talk some version of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.”  When you build, lead, or manage something, the very thing you’ve been taught not to do since you were two years old is suddenly part of the job. 😳 The thing is, to get the best result, you need to challenge and be challenged. Keeping it productive and never personal can be tricky.  

When digital photography hit the scene, thousands of employees skilled in processes, systems, and technology at Kodak found themselves in a very difficult situation. The skills they had acquired there, suddenly were not transferable. Just because an organization is big, doesn’t mean what you’re learning will be valuable elsewhere. Here are 5 traps to avoid (or at least be aware of) when working in a large organization.

When you experience a little success in life, it can work against you. You get comfortable, stuck, and maybe even a little entitled. Everyone is different. For me, I needed something to make me uncomfortable again. I looked at other artists to see what they did and ultimately ended up joining a boxing gym to help. 

Perceptions are made up of two parts:  1. Self Presentation. 2. The Baggage of the Beholder.  I talk about what these are, how to identify them and what to do with them

People tend to treat you based on who THEY think you are, not who YOU think you are. So you’re not going to be invited into the room if you’re not perceived as someone who should be in there. You’re not going to be in the rooms where strategy is discussed if you’re not perceived as having ideas that could help. So in many ways, your skill and the value you think you bring to an organization is important, but only if decision-makers see it that way too.

Most of the decisions that affect your career happen when you're not in the room. Things like: Getting raises and promotions. Increasing the budget for your department. Deciding whether your proposal gets accepted over a competitor. Deciding if your product gets into a national retailer. Who keeps their job and who doesn't. Which speaker gets invited to a conference. All of this happens when you're not in the room. You know what is in the room? The perception of you. It's either working for you or against you.