Changing Roles

This is a guest post by Pete Aldin of www.greatcircle.com.au and his free forum for parents of young adults who are struggling to find work.

Playing Many Different Roles

When you think of a great character actor, who comes to mind? For me it’s Johnny Depp.

Just think about the differences in his roles as Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Mort Rainey (Secret Window), Spencer Armacost (The Astronaut’s Wife) … and of course – Willy Wonka! Now, compare him with someone like Bruce Willis.

Willis almost exclusively plays the “burnout cop/criminal/taxi-driver/soldier on the verge of losing everything who finds his inner nobility and saves the day.� That’s basically his role in every movie he’s starred in.

What Roles Do You Play?

Human beings are more like Depp than Willis in that we often change roles depending on the situation we’re in and the needs we have at the time. What roles do you play? And which serve you well? Which don’t? It’s helpful to become both aware of them and intentional about which are most responsible and helpful for certain contexts.

Personally, I know that when I play the “He-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed� role with my older son, he automatically puts on his “Lawyer� (�let-me-show-you-the-error-in-your-reasoning-and-or-syntax�) role! There follows an escalating argument in which no one wins.

However when I change roles in my head to “Mentorâ€? or “Coachâ€?, the lad can’t play the Lawyer role – it doesn’t make sense. The two “scriptsâ€? don’t match. So he inevitably reverts to a more open-minded and co-operative role.

Which role do you play in job interviews? “Charity case� or “Worthy Prospect�? When you act in “charity case� or “I’m Too Good for This Job� roles, you’re handing the interviewer a bad script to read from.

Which role do you play in family dynamics? “Lecturer�, “Police Officer�, “Cheer Squad�, “Rescue Ranger�, “Self-Defined Adult�, “Spoiled Child�?

You get the drift.

Change Your Roles, Change Your Results

Try some different roles in problematic situations and see how it changes the “script�, the dynamic, the response of others, your own feelings and perspective.

Please Share!

Have you ever tried this? What were your results? All comments big and small are very welcomed!

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