Fake it until you become it !!

Over the years I have attended many professional development classes that have helped me a lot!  At one point I was attending a conference called COMMON for IBM Sys/36, Sys/38 and AS/400 (they were called mini computers at the time). These machines are now called the I-Series line (until they change the name again).

Anyway, we would learn all about specific software, the OS/36/38/400 operating systems, RPG/400, Security, Customer Support, etc.

Certainly I attended the classes I was sent to attend, but I always caught several sessions from the Professional Development track.

These sessions called to my soul, they helped me believe in myself when I needed it. They are designed to help me be a better, more professional employee/consultant.  I still think back to things I learned then and other similar classes I have taken since then.

So here is the first installment of a category that I am going to also call Professional Development.

This is a wonderful message from TED Talks/2012.  It was published to YouTube in Oct 2012.

Amy Cuddy brings to light a great idea to chew on.  Fake it until you become it.  If we only present ourselves as we currently are, we would never grow, nor make any progress in our careers.  

I have seen this in many instances in business, where someone is promoted from within to a management position.  This person's peers say "That is just Sam (or Sally) how can they lead us?"

So I watch Sam/Sally step up to the plate and act the way they have seen other managers present themselves.  Are they true managers yet?  Probably not.  But they persist and eventually they BECOME a manager.

This reminds me of the movie Remember the Titans.  The lead quarterback is injured and they had a backup QB, but he had never really acted as the leader on the field.  They put him in and tried to give him advice on how to lead and he says, "I've got this taken care of."

Then he runs out there are tells everybody to buck up and lets get serious, it's time to work!  And off they go.  I think he had some leadership skills, but no one on the team had seen them before, so he just went out and "faked it."

But enough about that,  Listen to Amy Cuddy.  She shows simple everyday ways to bring out our best self.  I'll include more on Body Language in upcoming posts.

Please leave a comment and let me know if this is beneficial and if you'd like to see more content of this type.

Thanks, 

Talk to you soon!