Tuesday, September 29, 2009

GETTING TO KNOW ME...

I started working at a new company 6 months ago. I am really loving it! We manufacture cosmetics and it is such a cool place to work for.
One thing that I find odd is the way the people here perceive me. Before I worked here I was at a different pharmaceutical company for 11 years, and everybody there knew me well. So I never really experienced “new views” of what kind of impression I leave.
What is so interesting here is that I have been perceived as stuck-up, snobbish and high maintenance. And this is from both men and women. Now I have never thought of myself as any of these, and I am sure that anyone who knows me will say I am not like that either… right???
Just recently I did an e-mail questionnaire at work that a friend sent me. You answer a series of questions and it gives you a little summary of your personality and character. This is what mine said:

You are the Orient-Floral Fragrance
You have a very strong sense of self awareness and your own world. You are not likely to be manipulated. You will use your own strength to actively reach your goals and this gives others the impression of being passionate. You are decisive with friends, and somewhat of a lone-ranger. Those around you will feel that you are a mysterious character. While being mysterious can sometimes be charming, others may feel that they cannot talk to you in a relaxing manner and find you difficult to handle due to your caginess and high self-regard. It even gets to the point where people avoid unnecessary contact with you and stay as far away as possible. The real you is actually rather gentle, but people will only notice your merits when they are very close to you.


This amazed me as I have always seen myself as somebody friendly, approachable and kind.

This is what I say (lemme break it down…):
Yes I do have a strong sense of self awareness, but not in a vain “I love me” way and no, I am not likely to be manipulated. I depend mostly on God to achieve anything as I know that I cannot do anything in my own strength. And if I seem passionate, I hope it’s about God and my relationship with him. He is my strength. I am decisive with friends yes, after all, you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. But I am not a lone-ranger. I have always felt people may see me as a little mysterious, but it’s because I am a little bit quiet and I don’t just sommer open up about my personal life to everybody I run into. I have not ever felt that people find it hard to talk to me in a relaxing manner most people usually end up telling me their entire life story, and I don’t mind! I don’t think I am cagey and I don’t have a high self regard – in fact I don’t regard myself very highly at all. If people are avoiding contact with me I don’t even know it. LOL!! And the real me really is gentle, I just hope it’s not something that is not easy to see.


You see, that character test was so weird because this is exactly how people have perceived me to be at my new place of employment. I have never experienced anything like it. And it’s not done in an ugly way so I am not falling apart or upset because of it – I am just a little surprised.

I do know my hubby will tell you I am NOT High Maintenance! LOL!!!

And I am sure my family and friends will say I am not stuck-up, snobbish, high manitenance or cagey etc. NĂȘ?

3 comments:

Terri said...

How people perceive us is never the same as how we think we seem to others, or as how we know ourselves to be. It's quite weird, hey? Kind of makes you want to go, "BOO!! HaHa, just kidding! Look, here I am, the real me, not so scary after all!"
:-)

AngelConradie said...

I don't think people I work with ever perceive me the way I truly am...
I'm not keen on sharing too much of my personal life at work because it has come back to bite me in the past- in the form of spiteful gossip- but my friends and family know the real me, the me I think I am.

lulu said...

True people at work don't need to know the "real" you because as Angel says they only use it against you in the end. I have never found you stuck up or cagey dude!! Or hard to talk to! xxxx