New Girl on the Block Part Three

There is a pair of shoes that I put on when I am in the building. I call them 'my inside-the-building' shoes. Spending the day in my own room has been out of the question. I can be in someone's room reporting, asking for things, asking for food, teasing or chatting. Making requests by phone is also out of the question for a new girl on the block like me. The managers know nothing about me, the staff are not either. I do, what Indonesians say, 'tebar pesona'. In marketing, people usually call this as 'brand imaging' strategy. With so many rooms to visit, going up and down the floors, I can't put on my high heels. My flat shoes are my saviors.

The 'tebar pesona' move has proven workable. I still do my walk around and meeting with people from other units from time to time even though not as much as the previous month. I get all the help I need from different units. My direct boss now knows more about the way I work. I am sure she did some digging about how I had done my job in the previous two places. Yet, nothing beats finding the facts herself. Yes, I am so thankful that the atmosphere is getting more comfortable to work in. At least, to my standard.

This strategy has its own downside, though.
Since I work in a directorate where I am an only female, I put myself into, errr, a situation with the males. I still can't measure what effect I have on people. Do I show just enough kindness, warmth and a sense of closeness as a colleague? Or do I give the wrong impression? Probably I need to show my 'cold' and 'bitchy' side from time to time to balance that sweetie-pie-adorable-warm-down-to-earth image. Hmmm, with all the work in hand now, I don't think that's going to be much of a problem.

pic from here.