Reinvention

The responses to my last post keep rolling in: most all of them positive, all of them with questions regarding the correspondent’s particular situation. Of course, the majority of the emails I received were from introverts. Go figure. You would think I was asking people to show up to work in their underwear! But that is what it initially feels like, when an introvert acts “out-of-character.”

In considering playing other roles—roles that cause us to stand out, to take up space in the minds of the Powers That Be--I think the question that we must begin with is this: How important is your job and your desire to be successful?

The first time I attended an Improvisation workshop, I thought I was going to toss my breakfast. What held me there? I was anchored to my desire and intent to move audiences to take action in helping the destitute around the world, as well as becoming a more powerful corporate trainer and coach. I felt locked in to a single way of being and acting. I had one “role”: The Real Monte. The problem was that this “Monte” didn’t always move people toward my goals. My outcome was more important to me than my comfort-zone.

There are a zillion fundraisers in the US. Most of them are honest and sincere in their dedication to the organization’s mission. Same goes for trainers and coaches. However, when the stage is filled with so many other “actors,” you had better do something to compel attention, or you will recede into the background. You aren’t going to be noticed, if you are backstage.

Listen. I am not suggesting that you roll yourself up into a carpet so you can be unfurled before your audience. Although it worked wonders for Cleopatra when she first met Caesar! What I am suggesting is that you create a role that emanates power.

Taking on a role that causes you to stand out from the herd does not require that you play some over-the-top character. The movie actor Robert Mitchum learned that if he stood perfectly still while the movies’ marquee stars moved about before the camera, he could steal the scene, drawing the viewers’ attention to HIM. Richard Burton quite often did the same thing while acting on stage with the world’s greatest Shakespearean actors. Serene stillness is far more powerful than histrionics.

For my introverted readers: Take Baby-steps! Maybe all you need to do, so as to take up more space in the minds of your “audience” (supervisor, co-workers, etc.), is dress with a bit more flair. Subtle shifts can be powerful shifts.

For you extroverts: Maybe you will want to cease being so transparent about your life, so as to create an air of mystery?

Reinvention is not simply about taking on a role at work that fascinates and entertains. Court Jesters can do this but no one takes them seriously. The role should be inspired and informed by your goals. The purpose behind reinvention is (appropriate) attention, increased power, and success in your career. If the roles you choose do not achieve these outcomes, let ‘em go and create a new one.

Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2010