Legal Imposters

Episode #95 Other People's Perception of You

Listen

Description

How are you coming across? What perception do others have of you and is this perception working for you or against you in your career?

For some of you, this will be the first time thinking about this question.

For others of you, the idea that other people perceive you a certain way isn't new to you. But where that perception is a negative one, you most likely feel powerless to do anything about it.

We're going to change that in this episode.

Understanding how other people perceive you is important for 3 reasons:

  1. Negative stereotypes are a reality - as a black lawyer if you haven't been confronted by negative stereotypes in your career then it's only a matter of time before you do, whether directly or indirectly. This is a reality of the world we live and work in, so it's important to be aware of it and have the tools to navigate it.
  2. Other people's perception of you determines how they treat you - from the work they allocate to you, their keenness to include you or support you and their willingness to promote you, all of this is heavily influenced by the perception they have of you.
  3. Everything you do to increase your visibility as part of your career progression strategy will turn the volume up on other people's perception of you. If other people's perception of you aligns and supports your progression goal, this is perfect. If it doesn't, then the visibility work you're doing will work against you rather than for. you. We definitely don't want that.

Whether you know how other people perceive you right now or not, you're going to find this episode invaluable. First, you'll learn why this topic is so important. Second, you'll discover exactly how to find out what perception other people have of you. Third, you're going to learn how to change other people's perception of you by building an intentional and authentic brand.

P.S. If you're a mid to senior level black lawyer and you're ready to build your intentional brand, I invite you to join BE THE FIRST. The next enrolment is 21st August 2025 where you'll be enrolling for the September 2025 class. In the meantime, find out if you're ready to progress by completing a Progression Audit - my free quick fire questionnaire that will reveal which of the progression pillars you need to include as part of your Progression Plan to ensure your progress is measurable and sustainable. Click here to do the Progression Audit now: https://ol05es3oldn.typeform.com/to/odMwQWzH