Executive PA Australasia October November 2016 | Page 17

Why recognition
has to start with
self recognition
A lot has been written about self-recognition and many have built
formidable careers around the subject. The reason being is that most of us
are pretty useless at it, which can hold us back and the people around us
AS SOON AS WE ARE BORN we start to recognise
objects. Studies have shown that even with eyesight limited
to just 12 inches away a newborn baby can recognise a face.
In their second month they recognise their primary carers. By
month 3 they recognise familiar objects, at month 5 they will
understand when an object is missing, such as a toy or their
mother. At 15 months a child starts to self-recognise, in other
words they begin to discover themselves as a person.
Similarly, most of us have a good understanding of the
industry we work in, whether it’s a mature one or an emerging
one or one in decline. The same goes for the organisation we
are employed in. We will have a broad understanding of its
structure, the people in it, their funny ways and our role within
it. And if we don’t have a full and in-depth understanding of what
we do as a job, why we do it and the processes to get it done, we
shouldn’t be in it at all.
We recognise all these objects – our job, employer and
industry sector – but what about self recognition? How many
of us genuinely recognise the importance of our roles and
difference that we as individuals make to the business we work
in and the people around us?
The fact of the matter is that nearly everyone gets hired by
their e mployer on the basis of their personal attributes. True,
the qualifications and previous experience may have got us in
the door, but it’s personality and apparent individual attributes
that get the job offer, and if this wasn’t the case there would
be no need for job interviews; judgement and personality are
individual and vital for businesses.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 | WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.COM.AU
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