How can people change their reputation at work, once they feel they've been pigeonholed? Sue Shellenbarger and executive Lisa Gable take a look at how an employee can successfully change his or her image. Photo: Melissa Golden for The Wall Street Journal.
It is easy to get pigeonholed at work. Finding a way out is another story.
Becky Johnson, 30, shook off her old identity as a deferential helper and took on an expanded role at her organization. Here's how she did it.
The Problem: A loyal follower needed to become more of a leader.
Ms. Johnson, a former Commerce Department staffer, was hired by Lisa Gable as project coordinator in 2009 to help her start a foundation. As the organization grew from 16 to 250 members, Ms. Gable promoted Ms. Johnson three times, to senior director, and started asking her to fill in for her in meetings and conference calls with the corporate chief executives who lead the group, the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a coalition of food, beverage, restaurant and other companies and groups aiming to reduce obesity.
Becky Johnson, right, was asked by her boss, Lisa Gable, left, to take on a leadership role at their Washington, D.C., foundation. Melissa Golden for The Wall Street Journal
But Ms. Johnson, 30, lacked the presence and air of authority needed to command a room. In conference calls, "I'd turn to her and say, 'Becky, what do you think?' And she'd be startled," says Ms. Gable, the foundation's president. If Ms. Gable asked Ms. Johnson to run a meeting in her absence, she deferred decision-making until Ms. Gable returned. "I needed her to learn how to speak up," Ms. Gable says, "to embrace the fact that she was no longer just a participant. It was time to be a driver."
Ms. Johnson had essentially pigeonholed herself. In her previous job as deputy scheduling director for former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, being a loyal staffer meant staying behind the scenes, orchestrating events. Her job, she says, was to help her boss "look as good as possible. The story is never about you." She had built a mental "barrier, a line in the sand," against taking the spotlight.
At the Washington, D.C.-based foundation, she developed website content and oversaw the launch of a school curriculum on exercise and nutrition. But she hadn't made the mental shift from working in a bureaucracy where rank is explicit to helping run an entrepreneurial organization with four full-time and three part-time employees and a boss intent on stretching her skills. "Getting past my perspective on rank was the biggest" roadblock, she says.
The Solution: Rethinking the meaning of "loyalty."
Becky Johnson says a turning point was realizing she could be both loyal and assertive. Melissa Golden for The Wall Street Journal
Ms. Gable asked executive coach Michele Woodward to work with Ms. Johnson earlier this year on developing leadership. Ms. Johnson says she wasn't surprised, given that her boss often talked about the value of coaching.
During the coaching, Ms. Woodward realized Ms. Johnson was deferring to her boss out of loyalty. "Structure and respect for authority had become a real hallmark for her," says Ms. Woodward, also of Washington. "She didn't want to be disloyal to a CEO she admired very much by stepping on her toes."
Ms. Woodward told her that learning to stand in for Ms. Gable would be an act of loyalty, because it would help her reach the foundation's goals. That was a turning point, Ms. Johnson says. Once she understood "this is what's expected of me, and this is what I need to do, that aligns your whole value system with the job at hand."
Personality tests helped Ms. Johnson see that her introverted style, coupled with her training as a staffer, made her hesitant to speak up when working with large groups. Spending more time preparing for meetings would increase her confidence and make it easier, Ms. Woodward told her. She also realized she would mesh better with more outgoing colleagues if she was more assertive in meetings and updated them more often on her work.
The Implementation: Ms. Woodward coached Ms. Johnson to strike a more authoritative stance, straightening her shoulders and making eye contact. In meetings, taking a seat near the middle of the table, rather than in the corner, would signal that she intended to take part. When speaking to others around the table, pointing her toes toward the person she was addressing would automatically square her shoulders to face the listener, Ms. Woodward said.
Ms. Johnson made the same changes in her posture when talking on the phone, she says. "When you have a more commanding presence physically, you feel even more prepared to speak up," she says. She likens it to "having a little more swagger when you go into a meeting."
Ms. Woodward also urged her to swap her classic pantsuits and button-down shirts for more stylish clothing, "so that you look the part of chief of staff, you look like a CEO—like somebody who owns the room." Ms. Johnson bought a few dresses and gold bangle bracelets that "add a little more excitement" than her customary silver jewelry, she says. The clothes helped her feel she is "getting more polish and stepping up to more of a leadership role."
The Outcome: Ms. Johnson is running more meetings for her boss and making decisions on the spot. Ms. Gable says "she is much more self-confident. She is putting her ideas forward without any hesitancy." Ms. Gable says Ms. Johnson is briefing board members during conference calls with confidence.
When Ms. Gable was asked in a recent meeting to describe a school project that had won one of the foundation's grant competitions, Ms. Johnson spoke up to explain how the school involved parents. Later, Ms. Gable says, she told her, "That was an amazing point. I'm so glad you raised it."
Ms. Gable is so pleased with the outcome of the coaching that she recently sent Ms. Woodward an email: "I don't know what you've done with Becky, but thank you so much. It's awesome."
For her part, Ms. Johnson says she is grateful to be working "with a boss who looks for opportunities for growth for all of her employees." Last week, Ms. Johnson was promoted to vice president.
—Have you felt pigeonholed in your career and broken out? Send your story tosue.shellenbarger@wsj.com.
