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7 Time Management Issues That Sabotage Credibility
What
professional image are you projecting?
Credible: believable, worthy of confidence, trustworthy
Do you think you can sustain a business or a successful career without credibility? Lately we have all been exposed to individuals and organizations whose credibility is irreparably damaged. Not only have they harmed themselves and their reputations, but they brought down many others along with them.
The image you project can have a more potent effect on how people perceive you than does the actual quality of your work. Even if you believe you are always honest and ethical, you may be sending little signals that chip away at your credibility quotient. Of themselves they may not be important to you, but they do reflect on your ability to follow through on commitments. How would you react to an associate or vendor who exhibited any of the following seven time management-related issues?
- Consistently showing up late
- Breaking appointments or often rescheduling them
- Not doing what they agreed to
- Presenting a messy or disorganized appearance
- Spending a lot of the work day on personal items
- Trying to do everything and then doing the jobs poorly
- Constantly making up excuses
Since people quickly make judgments about you solely on what they see, it is worth the time to analyze the image you are projecting to bosses and colleagues. Your personal credibility is a huge factor in your relationships and your business success.
If you can identify with any of the above items, make needed changes now. Yes, you have many demands on your time, and that is often an excuse in itself for the above results. However, would you want to do business with a person who is so busy that they do not follow through on promised work, who does a mediocre job because they weren’t focused on your project, or who simply looks overwhelmed?
In assessing your credibility factor, it could be helpful to ask a colleague or disinterested person what image you present. If the underlying message is not what you want to reflect, take the time to develop some new systems for managing your daily work flow.
- What could you do to better manage your time each day?
- Do you have strategies for handling frequent interruptions that detour you?
- Is your work load prioritized, or is it “last in, first out”?
- How do you ensure that you never overlook a deadline?
- Are there tasks and projects you could be delegating?
- What can you add to, or take out of, your office to look more in control?
In today’s job climate, anything you can do to improve your image and bolster your business presence should not be discounted. Not only will it pay back in the work world, but it will help to cut out stress and improve relationships in your personal sphere too.
Copyright © 2009 Key Organization Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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