5 Ways To Give Your Professional Image More Authority
Success in every career, (except perhaps stand-up comedy) requires people to take you seriously. No matter what your field of work, you’re not going to make a lot of progress unless it’s obvious that you know what you’re talking about. If you’re concerned about your professional image, then this post is for you. Here are five ways to give your image more authority.
1.Put your knowledge in writing. Your head might be teeming with professional knowledge about your particular niche. However, people won’t respect that unless they’re aware of it! Use some kind of public platform, like a blog for example, to highlight just how much you know about your niche. Online platforms are the cheapest and most far-reaching, but there are many other options out there. If you’ve been writing a business book, become an expert, publish your book with Motivational Press.
2. Get closer to your boss. If there’s one thing which can wreck someone’s professional image, then it’s having your boss contradict it in front of everyone. So how do you avoid this? By aligning your professional opinions with those of your boss. If you know there are any tricky or divisive issues on the company’s horizon, find the time to discuss this with your superior. Their opinions might be laughable, but go along with it! If you can sync up with them in advance, you’ll come off as a better, more confident leader. Forbes have a handy article on getting close to your boss.
3. Be mindful of your emotions. Seen as you’re reading this post, I can imagine that you already work in a pretty stressful position. However, if you can keep your cool when others can’t, everyone else will get a potent sense of your authority. Your calmness will show that you’re confident in your authority, and don’t need to remind yourself of it by letting your emotions run wild. If you’re talking to a subordinate about their slipping performance, be professional, but never angry. Act firm and concerned, but don’t fly off the handle. This is the one sure-fire way to gain respect from your employer and those below you.
4. Don’t worry too much about being liked. Okay, this may sound like a contradiction to the previous point. There’s no reason that you can’t be both an effective leader and a nice person. However, if you want to excel in your career, you can’t let your personal office relationships get in the way of your authority. Being likable in the office is a great way to drive results from subordinates, but it will only take you so far. Know when to be a friend and when to be a drill sergeant.
5. Don’t be defensive on impulse. Unless you’re the CEO of your company, there will be points where people question your decisions. When this happens, make sure you don’t suddenly go into defensive mode. Again, if you start to panic, and rapidly fire off excuses, you’ll only undermine your authority. If you’re right, calmly explain that you’re right. If you’re wrong, apologize and move on.
