Let's go around the room and introduce ourselves

“Let's go around the room and introduce ourselves.”

A standard question.

But one that's viewed so differently depending on who's asked.

For some it's the chance to trot out their well-worn ‘about me’ introductions, for others it's a more begrudging: “Ok, if you insist”.

For many, it's their worst nightmare.

The idea of having to sum up their role or even who they are – sometimes to complete strangers – is nothing short of terrifying.

These people will almost always downplay what they do, and the impact it has where they work.

Then, they follow up with something like: “And that's about it really…”, when it really isn't, but they're hoping the spotlight will shift to whoever’s next to them.

Oh, and when asked to share an interesting fact about themselves (which is a curve ball of a question anyway), they'll claim there’s nothing, despite you knowing they do something incredible outside of work.

So far, so familiar?

The panic of answering that question masks the reality of who you are and what you do.

Firstly, this is what you do every day – a whole list of different things that might vary on a weekly basis, but where you work ridiculously hard to do a good job.

And then worry every day that a good job is enough!

Even though the fact you worry so much shows you care more than most, and will be doing just fine.

You might be motivated by the work itself, the company mission, or even the people you work with. Whatever it is, this is what you do, but you're just too scared to say it out loud, worrying it's not enough or no one will believe you.

It is, and they will.

At the same time, you are more than a job title or function.

But it's hard to see this when there's a room – or Zoom – full of faces staring directly at you, who you think are judging every single word that's escaping from your worried mouth.

In reality, many of them will be thinking exactly the same thing.

Meet me… again

With all that said, introductions remain a pretty painful process for many of you.

I’ve introduced myself a lot; I've even done it on this very website… because I need to!

But, this time, allow me to do it a little differently.

I'm a marketer with 13+ years experience. I love helping to build a brand and show how marketing is an incredible force for telling stories and creating an emotional connection between a business and an audience.

More specifically I'm a social media and content specialist.

I love the day-to-day of social media management, the chance to be creative, test new ideas, and occasionally try out something I randomly thought about at 3am.

I do all of this while enjoying the buzz of working with others who love marketing as much as I do, but I'm also very conscious that what I do connects in some way to business goals.

Call me slightly crazy, but I don't mind a crisis either. When there's a drama to be dealt with I don't flap, I just get stuck in.

Must be my ENTPness.

Beyond my own efforts, I love working with other departments, understanding what they do, and how I can support them.

I will always shout out people or teams who don't get the recognition I think they deserve, or when I think they need to be heard at a critical stage in a planning process.

Above all of that, I consider myself a sounding board and mentor for anyone who wants to talk. I love to listen, discuss, debate and advise, and – I hope – be seen as a person who cares.

And someone who you know has got your back, will lift you up when you need it, give you a nudge of motivation, but always give you an honest answer.

Beyond all of that, I'm a dad, husband, long-suffering Derby County fan, someone who bangs on about the podcasts I listen to (don't worry they're normal ones!), and has a bit of an obsession with chivalry.

I’m also the type of person who will Google anything to just ‘know’, and remember the most bizarre bits of random information.

I never take myself too seriously, and will always make myself the butt of a joke, especially for team morale. I know my role!

If I can make someone laugh or feel a bit better about themselves, amazing.

I also love an innuendo…

Hi, I'm Dave.

Be more you

The point is, I'm all of these things.

At the same time, I can be just a few of them and, on the rare occasion I question myself, none of them.

But thanks to experience, self-belief and the support of others, I'm more self-assured that I rarely feel that way as often anymore.

And if I do, I know to give myself a bit of a mental slap and shrug off that imposter syndrome.

I can now happily introduce myself without the worry of being judged, dismissed, or ignored.

It’s ok for you to do that too.