Three people. Three openings. Three applicants. I’ve changed the names but not the shoes. If they fit, wear them.
Clara. You are perfectly put together. Your hair is perfect. Your nails are perfect. Your makeup, outfit, even your shoes, perfect, perfect, perfect. There’s just one thing you’ve missed. You’ve forgotten to connect your personality to your smile; warmth to your eyes. Clara, I’m looking right at you and seeing right through you and I’m not registering any information about you.
Hank! That smile of yours is dazzling. And teeth! Hank, I don’t know when I’ve seen such perfect alignment. And yes, you are trim, yes, I can tell that you work out… and you have washboard abs? Wow, Hank. And your clothes are right out of… they are! Well Hank, I figured you spent a lot on them. Yes, I agree with you Hank, you do look good. Hank. Stop smiling for just a second. You’re missing something. No, there’s nothing stuck between your teeth. It’s an opinion, Hank. That’s what you’re missing. Do you have an opinion about anything other than what to wear, eat, or where to work out? Hank, stop looking in the mirror…. Hank! I’m talking to you.
Carol, Carol, Carol. Your grades are fantastic. All A’s. Yes, you are smart. And so many trophies! You’ve received 1st place in Everything. That’s amazing. You certainly are an achiever, a competitor par excellence. In fact, you are so competitive you’ll do whatever it takes to win. Whatever it takes. Wow, Carol. That’s scary. You did that? To her? And to him? Just to win?
Three people have taken their strengths and maximized them to the point of personal undoing. Ring a bell?
Clara has put her money in her makeup, both literally and figuratively. She seems unaware that she is more than how she appears.
When meeting, greeting, and relating to others, she needs to project the light of cognition or, quoting Gertrude Stein’s memorable line, “there’s no there there”, and the first and lasting impression that’s registered is that nobody’s home.
Hank has circumscribed his life by, and limited his curiosity to, the number of teeth he’s capped, proteins he’s digested, and crunches he’s completed. Ask him a question about newsworthy events on the international, national, or local scene and his eyes glaze over. Attempt to discuss the impact these events have had on his domestic business, and his eyeballs spin in their sockets.
Carol is a competitor who thrives more on the win than the cause, the get than the goal. She is driven to succeed and disregards boundaries that define the proprieties of what’s allowed and what’s not. She might be a catch for companies who put earnings before ethics but the others will take a pass.
What all three share is a “me only” mindset. That’s not totally bad. It’s important to have a clear idea of what one values. That insight informs us of the people, places, and organizations we prefer to move toward and those from whom we should keep our distance. If, as a result, we become self- limiting and self indulgent, we stifle our social and professional development, our resourcefulness and empathy. We close ourselves to constructive feedback and developmental challenges.
What has all this to do with your job search and your career advancement? Just this: Employers, without regard to the size, scope, or complexity of their business, want employees who can make an immediate contribution, employees who will fit in, step up, deliver, and follow through, for the good of the company and the end-users they serve. They look for employees who are self-starting, goal focused team players and team leaders, who can learn quickly and apply what they learn efficiently and effectively. They want employees who can combine big picture thinking with can do behaviors, who do more rather than less, in less time than more. They want employees who are willing to take calculated risks for a payoff that is as developmental as it is mutually beneficial. Yes, they want a lot. Your job is to meet them half way. If your motivation is matched by their commitment, you’ll complete the journey together.
