Describe Yourself In One Word
I’m speaking at the Rocky Mountain Women in Law Enforcement Conference in Grand Junction, Colorado, this week. Topic: Gaining and Using Influence–When You Speak They’ll Listen. The topic covers several areas of personal and professional development and I’m looking forward to the event.
One of the exercises in the workbook is:
Describe yourself in one word
I also ask it this way: How would you like to be described–in one word?
I was first introduced to that question when someone told me he uses it at job interviews as a way to get some self-disclosure from candidates. It lets him know what the job fit and work relationships of the candidate might be. I’m using it in the presentation to get participants to narrow down to one word the traits, knowledge, skills and personality upon which their reputation is based.
I ask it the second way (“How would you like to be described?”) to let them see if there is a big or small difference between how they perceive themselves now and how they would like for others to perceive them. (We also talk about the many things that are necessary to make that one positive word a reality.)
Now it’s up to you: Describe yourself in one word. After that, say what you would like as your one-word description. Is there a big difference? Is the second one possible? What is something you could do today to make that the one word others would use to describe you?
