If you spend a lot of time worrying about what people think about you, then maybe it is time to reevaluate your personality traits. From Psychology Today, there are many ways to improve how you present yourself to the world. “Likeability—is a key predictor of success in all areas of life.
From being the teacher's pet to party invitations to job promotions, likeability can get you where you want to go. Likability pulls people toward you, so a good way to maximize your success is to develop attractiveness that increases your likeability quotient.” Likeability is often based on the quality of sincerity. If you are genuine in your care and concern for others, then you will automatically be considered more likable.
💛 Why Is Sincerity Important?
People can sense a phony from a mile away. It is important to check in with yourself and your feelings about others in the office or your personal life. If you don’t care for someone, but pretend that you do, it will eventually be revealed. The best way to proceed in your career path is to be sincere in how you think about others. No one is perfect, so find one or two aspects about a person that you can admire. From Forbes.com, learn how to give compliments that you truly mean. Look for good aspects in other people and tune in to their good qualities. Be aware of your true feelings. If you don’t sincerely think or feel good about a person, don’t say that you do.
Ask people about themselves, where they went to school, where they live, and about their families. Show genuine interest in their lives.
Ask about their hobbies. It could astound you to learn the artistic or musical qualities of people, or of their passion for sports. Find something in common with them.
It is also good to ask their opinions about challenges at work.
Be sincere and care about what others think, or their opinions on work projects, or how you view them. Remember that what you think will be what you say and will be what you do.
😂 Use Your Sense of Humor to Win Friends
People do not like someone who never smiles or laughs and is serious at all times. Besides the fact that they are just not fun, they are not relatable. They usually have cryptic responses to everything that is said, which often do not relate to the topic of discussion at all.
A good belly laugh is a great cure for almost anything. If necessary, practice telling jokes and try to find something light-hearted in all situations. A serious conversation can suddenly take a turn for the better when a sense of humor shows up.
When you can remember that as humans we have much more in common than not, it is not too difficult to appeal to other people’s sense of humor.
Letting off tension with a good laugh can change the conversation, which might lead to a long-lasting and better impact for you and your career.
🏆 Case in Point: Bully or Likable
Although the schoolyard bully gets away with tough tactics for a while, it is the student who is most likable who wins over the class in the long run.
A bully often thinks that because they are winning, they are right about everything. It is not because people are afraid of the bully and will give them what they want, it is because most people are very nice, even kind, to others.
Then why do bullies seem to win? The keywords here are ‘seem to win.’ People often let the bully do their thing for a while because they are not sure how to respond, or they don’t feel they have the power to stop the bully.
However, research shows that kind people who live their lives in honest pursuits and do not harm others will win in the long run. According to an article in the May 2023 Harvard Business Review, “most bullies are driven by unresolved trauma or fear…and lack the self-awareness to correct their harmful behaviors. This is unfortunate, as almost 80 million U.S. workers are affected by bullying each year…” The workplace bully is as disliked as they were in school. If they climb to the top of the corporate ladder, it is because they have power behind them, such as money or prestige. But even so, they have not had the tools to adjust their psychological profile, and may never be truly liked.
You can be a brilliant bully, but not liked. You can be ignorant and nice, and very much liked. But to be both brilliant and likable will propel you to the top.
✨ Keep smiling, stay sincere, and let your genuine charm open doors,
Charmayne
