Let Your Personality Show

Ever notice how easy it is to let something slide with someone that you really enjoy being around? If someone is really funny and makes you laugh, and then screws up, you'll be apt to look past it quicker. If someone is eccentric and oddly interesting, you're probably more likely to live and let live when they say something stupid that has the potential to offend.

You can see this played out with Doctors. Those doctors with a good bedside manner are said to be much less likely to be sued for malpractice.

I can think of a lot of instances where this is true in my own life. Sales guys that didn't do what they said they would, but who I genuinely like as people, so chose to continue to working with them. People I've worked with that could really step on your toes, but were such great folks I easily overlooked those faults. I even think of all the celebrities that people adore, even after they've been admitted for OD'ing, etc.

We tend to think of this backward in the business world. There's an unspoken rule that says you're not supposed to be yourself at your job. "Be professional" is the line what we're told, which translates into squelching your personality traits. The strange thing about this is that it is the reverse of what we should be doing.

Let your personality show. Be your quirky self. You'll find you're more likely to establish real connections with people. Real connections will result in not just faults being overlooked, but better, longer-lasting relationships with co-workers and customers. This means less turn-over and fewer clients walking away from working with you and your company.