Profiling matters the most or does it?

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In a casual conversation with one of my friends, a passing comment stuck in my head. We were discussing about how people get noticed and acknowledged in organizations eventually leading to opening of the doors of career growth. And then I heard an almost emphatic feedback “Profiling matters a lot…how you portray yourself…how you talk, whom you talk to…etc…” Well the conversation ended but the thought stuck in my head.

Let me admit that I have myself been at the receiving end of this “Profiling” and have believed that it matters in your professional growth. There have been instances where I have felt that “Substance” has often fallen prey to “Profiling”. While I continue to use the word “Profiling” I think my interpretation of the same before I move ahead is warranted at this stage. For me “Profiling is an act of projecting oneself as being capable of handling the circumstances / situation at hand while in full knowledge of the intellectual ability of self – the act often an attempt to mask the gap between ability to handle and demands of the task”.

But what really drives people to “Profiling”?

Some of the drivers may be as follows:
·         Individual’s desire to get acknowledged and move up the ladder of organizational hierarchy faster than the peers.
·         The individual realizes that this is one of the ways to bridge the gap between the ability possessed and the demands of the task.
·         The organizational culture (though not documented / acknowledged) wherein superiors themselves have either risen through the ranks by such acts or are gullible to such acts.
·         Despite having better skills and intellect, you have been bypassed / sidelined when it came to getting recognition.

So what does “Profiling” entail?

It could mean any one of the following or a combination of any of the following:

  • Appearance of the individual
  • Mannerisms
  • Ability to converse with people
  • Play the ball – ‘do in Rome as the Romans do’ – your personal beliefs  likes don’t matter.
  • Appreciate the speaker – it doesn’t matter if the speaker is making sense.
  • You are the encyclopedia – have a viewpoint on everything.
  • You need to be glib, confident and have the ability to conceit.
I would restrict myself from using attributes such as cheat & sycophant for individuals engaged in the act of “Profiling” because these are habits. “Profiling” works if there is acceptance of the same from the other end – it is not a habit per se, but an act of opportunism by the concerned individual.

As mentioned above, some of the accompaniments of “Profiling” are good for the concerned individual while the rest are best left to the conscience of individual and organization concerned.

Views please….

By: Sumit Singh
Dated: 16th Nov, 2013

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