Full Transcription for the video lesson below:
HI there, I’m Farnoosh Brock. I created Crack the Code to get Promoted , the world’s leading rapid promotion system for corporate careerists, and if you are watching this video I know that you are interested in advancing your career and getting ahead.
Today, I’ll talk to you about why appearing overwhelmed or frazzled at work, and especially in front of your management, can be career suicide. In fact, it can completely damage your chances of getting promoted. Then, I’ll give you two super simple tips that you can do which are extremely powerful and they help you avoid this overwhelmed frazzled appearance.
Appearing Frazzled Can Hurt You
So first, let me speak about how this can damage your career. When I was a young employee at this big corporation, I used to think that if I look as if I have been working all night, all weekend, and I’m exhausted and overwhelmed and “Oh my God! I have so much to do,” that my management would think that I am working oh so hard, that I am the best employee and that it’s going to help me get promoted because I am so loyal and so dedicated to my work.
And while all of that was true for me, the message that I was sending when I appeared so out of control with my current roles and responsibilities was that I cannot even handle what I am tasked to do. So, there is no way that I could be ready to move up to the next level, and that is unfortunate because that is the opposite of what I was trying to tell them.
If you take a look at the senior vice president or the director at your company, do they appear like they’re about to go crazy? No. They have a lot more than you to accomplish, they have a lot more deadlines and a lot more pressure, but they are in charge. They are calm and in control. They exude a presence that helps you feel also in control and in charge, and that’s exactly what your management wants you to do. They want you to appear in charge no matter how much you have to do.
Now you have a lot to do, and sometimes you do get tired and you do get stressed and that’s natural, but there are ways to handle it that still leave you looking calm, in charge and professional.
How to Combat Feeling Stressed
Here are the two tips that I want to give you. These are super simple, but simple is not always easy to do, so you have to remind yourself to do them.
Number one: when you start feeling frazzled and stressed, simply sit up in your chair and smile. And I don’t mean a big, giddy smile; I just mean smile. When you do that, it changes your entire expression, it certainly changes the energy that you give off and it reminds you again that this is the way you need to be appearing under stress, and then of course go about your work.
The second simple tip is just take a 3-5 minute break from your work and go outside and get some fresh air, and preferably, go for a little walk where you can get rid of this nervous anxiety energy and come back and feel more grounded, and feel ready to tackle whatever task you have before you.
These two tips, which I started using later in my career, gave me the control that I needed and it sent my management the exact message which is, “I am just doing just fine with my roles and responsibilities. Everything is under control and I am ready to get promoted to the next level.”
So remember that: smile, go for a walk, and never, ever let your management see that you are stressed, frazzled or overwhelmed.
A Confident Appearance is Crucial for Advancement, But There’s More…
Appearing calm and collected is important, as why would your boss promote you to more responsibility if you can’t demonstrate you can handle your current workload? This is but one subtle but important lesson to learn as you navigate the corporate landscape. To help employees avoid the mistakes I made, I created Crack the Code to Get Promoted, an online program that examines all of pieces to the “get promoted” puzzle, and shows you how to best position yourself to get recognized.
