Happy holidays and a party trick

Who doesn’t love Alice in Wonderland? It’s the theme for this year’s Melbourne tradition – The Myer Christmas windows. I thought they were old at 63, but the world first met Alice in 1865!

Here you can see Alice, with the foul-tempered Queen of Hearts and her King in the background and the mad March Hare to her right.

I had to think twice writing that. Isn’t it on the left?

So, of course, that reminded me of the fun self-monitoring party trick… just in time for the holiday cheer.

Self-monitoring

Self-monitoring is about how much you adapt to the context you’re in.

If you’re a high self-monitor, you’re a bit chameleon-like. You’ll adapt to meet the demands of the situation. It doesn’t mean you’re inauthentic. You’re not trying to trick other people by being how you think they want you to be. You’re doing your best to meet your genuine need for self-enhancement.

If you’re a low self-monitor, you’ll do what you do, no matter where you are. For you, it’s more important to not present a false image of yourself.

Who does better at work?

The higher self-monitors. They’re better at getting along and getting ahead. That means higher performance ratings and more promotions.

What’s a low self-monitor to do? Well, it’ll feel like striking a balance between being authentic and being effective. At least you get to decide what’s worth getting out of your comfort zone for.

The Party Trick

This is a fun, albeit rough indicator of whether you’re more likely to be a high or low self-monitor. It’s easy.

Imagine there’s someone facing you. Now, with your dominant hand, draw a capital E on your forehead. That’s it.

The question is, did you draw the E so that you could read it or so the person facing you could?

If it’s facing them, you’re more likely to be a high self-monitor. Why? Because you’re more likely to spontaneously adopt another’s perspective.

Happy Holidays

Given it’s the last working week before the end of year holidays, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you so much for being here, reading and sharing my posts, and taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I do appreciate it.

I’ve got some exciting things to bring to you in 2019. In the meantime, I’ll be taking a break and will be back in your inbox in the new year.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

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