Welcome to the Emotional Connectivity Podcast of Talent Management Academy!

„My roles“

What are the roles in your life? If we think of Rolf’s last week podcast about internal and external systems timing is perfect right now for reflection on this topic. Reflecting the different systems you are part of you will easily recognize the great variety of your roles.

We are all born into a family with certain expectations, values and rules. The older we are the more numerous the range of roles: In school, on the job, in the family we are child, parent, sister or brother, friend, peer, boss etc. This list is far from being complete, but gives reason to guess how flexible human personality can be in a lifetime considering the variety of roles available / managed.
In how far is it important to become aware of the own roles?

On the one hand, it is a matter of balance and self-management. Feel free to write down all the roles you have in your life. What kind of role is easy to manage for you? Where do you quarrel with a role and when may you feel uncomfortable? Reflecting yourself means that you can assess in a next step what exactly makes you happy and why and when do you spend too much energy. I even recommend to draw a “role cake” allocated with percentages. 100% for the total number of possible roles and also 100% for the energy that is available for you to personally manage the individual role.
Let me give you an example: If your job role takes a 50-% share of total, but cost you 80% of your available energy, you should check up how to recharge your batteries – thus how you can recover – or what you can change in your job so that your work-health-balance is reset in due proportion.

On the other hand, it is recommended from time to time to check whether a role assigned to you or selected by you still fits. Are you authentic, can you really live the role or does it feel strange? What’s in the role for you, for others in your environment? If you can clarify things for you, you will more easily achieve successful change. You may grow out of a role or you recognize that a role stresses you too much, so that you get lost in it. Just as well it may occur that a role is limiting your talents and capabilities. Then it’s the right moment for reflection and to get rid of inherited problems, so that you make room for something new and development.

Last but not least: The proof of the pudding is in the eating, for example in a meeting. Professional communicators love to ask the distracting question “are there still some cookies available?“ to brighten up any boring meeting round…
So here’s my tip for the week to come: Fall out of the role and observe what kind of impact you make. Have fun!