Were you angry?
Were you happy?
Were you just kind of feeling “eh”?
When I talk about “showing up” it is ALL about energy.
I mean, ALLLLLLLLLLLLL, about the energy you give off to your colleagues.
One of the things that really “frosts my cupcake” is when I say “hello” to someone and they don’t say “hello” back. Truthfully, I’m just looking for an acknowledgment. I’d take a “How you doing?” or “Go away” but at least I know they heard me!
We are solely responsible for how we show up.
Naturally we have days where we are not feeling it. But how we deal with that and how that may impact our work day and our relationship with others, is ours to OWN,
A very dear friend of mine is an amazing coach. She tells her athletes that they are to leave their problems at the door when they came into a practice or competition. The reason she does this is to send a very clear message that each player’s problems will not impact the overall performance of the team. She would physically have the athletes place their hands on the door and make like they were funneling their problems from their mind and heart, down through their arm and act as if they were placing it on the door handle. She would tell her athletes, “You can pick up your problems on the way out. They will be waiting for you on the door handle where you left them.” She set the expectation for how she wanted her athletes to show up and be completely present to each other as a team.
When I used to work in a school system or corporate office, I was known as “the guy who always said hello to people”. I didn’t care if they were on my team or not. If they were in my vision, they got a “hello”. People noticed that. Leadership noticed that.
Here are some examples of some easy ways to “show up” as your best in the workplace:
- Always dress professionally. While showing up is all about energy, we can’t overlook how we physically present ourselves. Make sure your outfit is clean, appropriate and isn’t wrinkled.
- Be on time or better yet, early (If you are meeting someone from a leadership team at a meeting, it is best to get there at least five minutes before they do. That is one situation where you don’t want to be late!)
- Say “hello” to people
- Be knowledgeable and resourceful
- Be engaged at every meeting you attend. Take notes. Ask engaging questions that are additive and not repetitive. No one likes a “brown noser” who just speaks at meetings for the sake of being heard.
- Pitch in and help when other team members need assistance
- Be energetic and enthusiastic about the job you are doing. I love it when I see people, at whatever job they are doing, really enjoy what they are doing and serving others. They are making a difference and a big impact! (Big shout out to Amy whom I talked about during my Facebook Live this week!)
- Network! Get to know people outside of your team. Learn what they do and determine if that is something of interest to you. You never know where that networking connecting might lead
For my clients, it is all about how I show up for them. I make certain that I eliminate all distractions so I can completely focus on them and be my best to help them achieve the actions they want during our sessions. Along the way, I believe it is important to inject a little bit of humor where appropriate. I make sure to hold the space for them so we can be totally present. If I don’t totally and completely show up to my best to serve my clients, I’m not being a very good coach to them.
When we show up, we demonstrate our professionalism, energy, connection and collaboration. Be someone people like to work with and enjoy being around rather than someone who is negative, defeating and a “Debbie Downer”!
What are you doing to “show up” differently that makes a positive impact on your team and your colleagues?
If you have an interesting, unique or unusual way you “show up”, drop me an email at john@johnneral.com. I’d love to hear about it!