Acting the role – don’t mix the role with yourself

You are not your company.

This seems pretty obvious, but most of us mix up our own personality with our company and our job. It’s only human to do so, but long term it gets pretty messy.

Get out there and dance

When you meet with your customers you are acting in the role of salesman or expert.

When you are supervising and delegating you are acting in the role of supervisor or manager.

When you are the CEO you are responsible for decisions and actions that are in the best interest of the company.

These are all roles you need to play, and all of us are in a sense role-playing most of the time. People will respect you acting in those roles because that is what they expect.

Learning to switch these roles on and off is important. It’s not about acting, lying or being distant, this is about doing what should be done in a professional manner.

Learning to take a step back and see your company and people dispassionately is important, and it also helps you untangle yourself from it emotionally.

With practice you will get better at this, and ask your partner and friends to keep an eye on you to remind you to untangle yourself.