Learning Objectives FOR Expect Acceptance

If you live to be 70 years old, you have been given a few more than 25,500 days. How you live them is up to you. A good place to start is to expect acceptance from everyone and to give your acceptance to others.

Your success at work depends as much on who you are as a person as it does on your credentials and or your skills. No matter how well educated you are, you still have to be someone who treats patients, clients, and customers respectfully and empathetically. No matter how skillful you are in performing the most difficult procedures in your profession, you still have to be someone your co-workers want to spend eight hours a day with, day after day. No matter how high your grades were in school, or how high you scored on your licensing or certification exam, your supervisor wants you to be someone who is respectful, open to learning and coaching, and an example for your co-workers.

Be the best person you can be and expect acceptance for it. As executive coach D.A. Benton put it, “Forget your blushing, sweating, trembling, and shaking as you expect and give acceptance. Ignore the heart palpitations from dealing with intimidating people, the embarrassment in talking to strangers, the fear of authority, or the possibility that someone may criticize you.”*

Relate to the people in your life as if you are in traffic, assuming you are a courteous driver. As Figure 12-1 demonstrates, you don’t know who is driving the car in front of you, whether it is a police officer, your boss, your neighbor, your friend’s grandmother, or a celebrity. You should treat them all with courtesy as you all follow the rules of the road. Apply this philosophy to your workplace. Why wouldn’t you give acceptance to everyone?

You were hired based on your credentials, abilities, and soft skills. Live up to this acceptance every single day on the job.

You experience your world from the inside out. Everyone else experiences your world from the outside in. Just because someone else looks confident from the outside doesn’t mean they are without any insecurities. Make sure the “outside” you, the “you” that others see, projects confidence and assurance. If you feel nervous, don’t announce it. If you are intimidated, demonstrate courage. Expect acceptance.

Plan for Success

You are embarking on a brand new phase of life. This is no time for coasting. Instead, start the rest of your life right now by using what you have learned in this book to set goals for yourself, make a concrete plan to achieve them, and become the best person you can be. Commit now to setting high standards for yourself at work and in your life. With a solid plan in place, you will meet your targets as seen in Figure 12-2. Your success and happiness depend on this plan and your efforts to stick to it.

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