Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about one particular subject, and I felt that I finally had to write about it to get it off my chest. In short, I find myself frequently asking: Am I supposed to have a vastly different personality when I am in “professional mode”, compared to how I am in “personal mode”?
Allow me to elaborate.
One of my acquaintances, who shall not be named, appears to have a constant facade in play. They are a fantastic networker because of their ability make small talk, but will come off as somewhat fake due to their facade. Having conversations with this acquaintance can be a rather difficult experience, because they do not feel very genuine, even when it is a personal one-on-one conversation.
This is somewhat of a stark contrast to my own behaviour. In a professional setting, I usually try my best to create real conversations that have a bit more depth to them. It may not always work and people may not always connect with me, but I refuse to change that just to make networking easier. This is exactly how I am with my friends, and I feel that it is appropriate for professional settings as well.
So I asked myself, should you really behave all that differently between “personal mode” and “professional mode”? I don’t expect people to be acting boorish and idiotic around professional events, but who would you rather deal with: a master of small talk, or a conversationalist?
Weigh in with your opinions, please!