While this reputation exists in basically every aspect of my life (friends, work, school, etc.), I will focus on it in a work environment. I once had a job that included a lot of driving and people usually did not want to take their cars even though we got paid a fair amount per mile. While I never made an effort to drive, as it is occasionally nice to just sit in the passenger seat and relax, I would always volunteer myself if nobody else wanted to. I feel that there is no reason to make a big deal out of something so small, and arguing over something so unimportant does not lead to anything worth while. Basically every time I am asked to do something on the job, even if it is from somebody that has no authority over me, I go ahead an accept it because I find it easy to say yes, which I feel reflects my laid back attitude.
Just today I was at work and my supervisor complimented my ability to stay calm and collected, especially when faced with a high volume of work. While this is an example of one of the benefits of being laid back, having a reputation can yield a mixture of results. For example, the fact that I say yes to a lot of small tasks makes it easy for people to approach me with new tasks, which can lead to more work than I can handle.
I am sure that if everyone in an organization had the same attitude and reputation as I have then things wouldn't run very smoothly. An organization needs people of many different reputations in order to achieve things efficiently in my opinion.
There are definitely points in my life where I would like to stray away from my reputation in order to have a bit more control of situations, but my reputation mimics my true personality so it is often hard for me to actually go through with such actions. I feel that I will someday begin to transform my reputation in a way that helps my career goals be met, but for now I am very content with my reputation and its influence in my life.
I can not think of a situation where I would have the opportunity to cash in on my reputation in favor of some immediate game. I would be very interested to hear of any possible was that one could cash in on a laid back reputation.
On the last question about cashing in, I can think of more in a social setting but then I'll try to offer one up in the work setting as well. All of these revolve around others setting the agenda. It could be friends choosing a movie to see. Others take responsibility for that and you simply go with the flow. Or it could be somebody suggesting pleasure reading for you for over the holiday. Or possibly it could be getting fixed up on a date, rather than asking the person out yourself.
ReplyDeleteIn the work context, something like this could happen. A person has an idea for some innovative project, but there is too much work for them to do it all themselves. The person needs a partner. You get asked because you're approachable and your reputation indicates you'll likely accept the offer.
Now some would say this is not really cashing in. It is opportunities that present themselves as a consequence of your laid back demeanor. But it is cashing it in, at least in an opportunistic sense. If you behaved otherwise, these good things wouldn't be forthcoming without you generating them on your own. You avoid the need to pound the pavement or develop a creative project on your own. In that sense it is cashing in by cost avoidance.
What happens, however, if I've been drawing too rosy a picture and that none of those good opportunities materialize over the next few years. Then, as you said, you will need to exert more control over your own situation. How long you should wait before making a conscious choice to be more assertive is anyone's guess. At a minimum, based on what you've written here, you are aware of the tradeoffs and likely will consider the question further on your own.
The example you provided on cashing in is interesting and very well is a scenario that could occur in the future, but I am not sure how that would lead to the abandonment of my reputation. I see that more as just a possible benefit that comes from the reputation rather than cashing in and ditching it all together.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that once I get a full time job and get more responsibilities the need to develop a new reputation will arise, and hopefully my current reputation will allow me to easily adapt into a new role.
I believe that issues can occur when people are not flexible enough with their reputations. For example, if somebody has a reputation for being very modest and they have a great idea that they don't get their fair credit for, the person should be able to stray away from their reputation and claim responsibility in order to exceed their reputation as a worker.