By Francis J. Kong
(The Philippine Star)
October 15, 2011
“What is your position in your company?” I hear people ask this question all the time, so it must be important.
“I am the CEO.” “I am the AVP.” “I am the COO.” “I am an executive
assistant.” There are many answers to the question. The question is,
have we really taken the time to ponder on this position of ours in the company?
Product positioning is extremely important. Notice how Mercedes Benz
positioned itself as a luxury car, BMW as a mean driving machine, Volvo
as the safest car, Nike as the premium sports brand of top athletes, and
Apple as strong product innovator.
Product positioning differentiates one product
from the rest of the offerings in the market. It plays a big role in
making a brand top-of-mind among consumers. That’s why companies spend
millions of dollars in building, promoting and maintaining their unique
product positioning.
What is true for products is also true for people in the workplace.
We have our own unique position in the workplace. We may be known as a
most reliable person who gets tasks done, or the worker who always comes
in late for meetings. Whatever that position may be, it’s the result of
the actions we’ve taken and choices we’ve made during our tenure. And
it’s usually the deciding factor on whether we’ll get the promotion
we’ve been waiting for or the boot when the company decides to implement
cost-cutting measures.
Business people are not exempted from this. When you pay suppliers
promptly and are fair in your dealings with them, you position yourself
as trustworthy, and the best vendors will find doing business with you
pleasurable. But when you constantly delay payments, you position yourself poorly to them.
Positioning is even applicable in your personal life.
You can position yourself as the faithful family man or the respected
community leader with the way you conduct yourself, and that would be
wonderful. But act irresponsibly and immaturely, and you’ll position
yourself as exactly that.
People form a perception of you according to how you position
yourself (whether effectively or poorly). Their perception may not be
100% accurate, but it’s extremely powerful. In fact, politicians spend a
lot of money “spinning” stories just so they can get a more favorable
public perception. But the truth is the character of a person reveals
itself stronger than any amount of PR or spin can do.
But there’s One who knows the real you no matter how much
spinning you do or what others say about you. You can live a secret
life, but there are no secrets with Him who sees and knows
e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. That One is God.
While people in the workplace and in the marketplace make their
perceptions about us based on what we do and what we achieve - based on
our productivity or the lack of it - this is not the same with God. God
is not after our performance but our heart.
Men look at exteriors, but God looks at the heart. May your key position before God be that of true humility and character.
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