I got hit with a sucker punch, Podsters and here’s what happened.

I threw a curveball at a trusted colleague by asking him to share the unfiltered truth with me about how I’m perceived by a specific group of people.

I asked him, thinking that I knew the answer.  Hey, I’m self-aware.  I know my faults; I know where I need to improve and I’m already working on myself!  Lucky for me, my buddy didn't sugarcoat it.  And while his response was not what I was expecting, he did me a huge favor by giving it to me straight.   I now know exactly what I’m facing as I work towards changing these perceptions.

Imagine if I hadn't asked.

I could've been living in la-la land, thinking everything's great, my message is crystal clear, people know who I am and continuing on with that same narrative.  While out there, people were making assumptions about me and my messaging was NOT resonating.   Ouch.

Think about your career and your goals.  Are you skipping the uncomfortable feedback? Are you assuming (like I did) that you’ve been doing this so long, people MUST know the real you?

IGNORING YOUR BLIND SPOTS IS A CAREER DERAILER.

When you receive feedback that’s hard to hear or that you weren’t expecting – two things can happen.   One, you hear a real truth and you can then own it, address it, and come back stronger.

Or two, what you’re hearing is a perception and they are seeing you through their own reality. Their truth.  Which may be very different than yours.  Manage that perception, and you're in the clear. But remember, their perception is their reality, not necessarily yours.

Not so easy.  Here’s how you can overcome a perception:

Debunk the idea or have an open conversation.  Thoughtfully and unemotionally address the assumptions (even if they are incorrect) and if someone's dodging your olive branch, don’t stress. You made the effort. You took the high road.  And if and when that negative feedback resurfaces - you can remain confident in who you are because you know you did the right thing.

Bottom line? Embrace the feedback, whether it's legit or not, because knowing how people perceive you is your golden ticket to accessing your next level. No one grows by only looking at the good things – we grow by understanding and embracing our imperfections.

⁠Apply to Work with Nancy 1:1 by Clicking HERE⁠