Power Leader and Author Debjani Biswas on Using “The Five Judgments” to Re-Create Your Brand 

Debjani Biswas’ career has taken her from Asia to the Americas, Europe and multiple global locations, and now to Dallas, where she is the President and Founder of Coachieve, an organizational development, executive leadership and diversity strategy consulting firm. Her prior, abundantly rich professional track includes evolving from a chemical engineer to organizational development manager (at Texas Instruments) and executive coach and strategist — and later, a Fortune 50 executive (at PepsiCo and Frito-Lay).  She holds an MBA, an MS in Organizational Strategy, and is a Professional Certified Coach. She was also named Woman of the Year (2013-2014) by the National Association of Professional Women. 

Unleash The Power of Diversity: Multicultural Competence for Business Results is the first book in her forthcoming “power series,” and Ms. Biswas is currently on a Barnes & Noble book tour in conjunction with it. Biswas sat down recently with SharpHeels to offer personal reflections and explore two original frameworks introduced in Unleash the Power of Diversity, which she feels are both critical to professional development, identified as the “Five Judgments” and the “Orchid Effect.”

The Five Judgments: How Introspection Influences Achievement

While the Five Judgments and Orchid Effect frameworks address the huge business costs of bias and stereotyping at work, they are equally valuable in increasing self-awareness on an individual level.

Influenced by the concept of emotional intelligence (since Biswas is a certified practitioner of  EQi 2.0 MHS, a measurement tool in that area) the Five Judgments begin with assessing one’s personal brand and presence in the categories of Reputational Currency, Physical Impact, Auditory Cues, Distinguishing Markers and Work Product. Therefore, by using these criteria to evaluate how others perceive us, we can determine what is working for, or against us, and thus adjust our impact, while remaining authentic.

The categories in detail:

Reputational Currency — This includes the buzz around you or your overall reputation. For better or for worse, it’s what people think they know about you before meeting you. ‘Buzz’ can be influenced by former colleagues and friends, as well as your online presence.  If you don’t have a personal brand, reputational currency can result in stereotyping as people rely on previous perceptions about people ‘like you’, i.e., your gender, race, educational background, etc.

Physical Impact — This is where shallow arbitrary judgments about one’s weight, height, general build, age, beauty, dress, and even smell influence others’ perception of competence or “organizational fit.” Others are often more forgiving of physical impact when one’s reputational currency is excellent; the judgements, therefore have an interactive effect on each other.

Auditory Cues — How you speak is as important as what you say. Accent, speed, pitch, word choice and mannerisms (like the overuse of “um” while speaking) influence others’ perception of one’s “power and hierarchy relative to the reviewer.”  According to Biswas, when listening to someone speak, we make a “subconscious placement of the person as being a superior, peer or below us in organizational hierarchy.”

Distinguishing Markers — A distinguishing marker is a feature that is unique to us. It is something that stands out and makes you memorable; it may be physical, behavioral or contextual.

Work Product — Tangible, measurable output of whatever product or service one is in the business of delivering.

It is noteworthy that the first four judgments have nothing to do with work product, but rather one’s brand and presence.  Helpful info for analyzing these areas: Biswas’ book, which includes a workbook for self-assessment.  However, Biswas also advocates having a trusted friend or colleague verify or deny any “self-conclusions.” The results should then be evaluated based on a cost/benefit analysis.  “What is the benefit of saying ‘This is me, take it or leave it? And, more importantly, can I afford to have that approach?” she notes. Biswas feels that these assumptions (faulty or accurate) can critically affect the professional woman’s ability to compete in the business sphere and her success in an increasingly global work force, and links the idea of authenticity to the “Orchid Effect.” 

The Orchid Effect: Being Different Yet In Demand in the Workplace

Biswas explains that the Five Judgments above can have a great impact on — and an interplay with – the Orchid Effect. She defines it as the following: “Being different can be seen as valuable or rare, like the orchid.”  Yet she warns that being unusual or diverse can also work against us.  If that is the case, it is necessary to evaluate how to influence the first four judgments while remaining authentic.

In a recent speech to a group of Dallas Human Resources Professionals, Biswas explained the conundrum thus: “When we feel valued, we produce more. And when we feel different, we sometimes try to become invisible.” This demonstrates the economic impact that diversity and inclusion work can have on a business’ bottom line.  This is one of the reasons Biswas advocates that hiring managers reverse the order of judgments, and start by evaluating work product.

As for the employee’s own concerns review in this area, Biswas recommends a detailed approach. “The first step is to verify you’re the self-analysis of your brand and presence is accurate,” she says. Ask advisors or mentors at home or work to share their perceptions, and determine whether it aligns with your desired outcome. “Don’t fix what’s not broken,” Biswas urges.

However, if the verified self-analysis indicates the need for a change, Biswas reminds us of the criticality of remaining authentic through the process. She feels that authenticity amounts to “being who you are and saying what you feel,” while cautioning that there is a range of acceptable behaviors for most situations: in her coaching work, she leverages a tool she calls “two truths and a lie.”  She clarifies: “If a situation is awkward, consider what the blunt truth is, and what the glossy white lie is. Between the two is the palatable truth.” She gives an example of being a dinner party guest who is served inedible, tasteless food. When the hostess asks “How’s the dinner?” the glossy white lie is ‘great!’  The blunt truth, on the other hand, is the word ‘awful.‘  So the palatable truth would be to acknowledging the hostess’ effort in putting together the dinner, without commenting on the quality of the food.

Developing this type of “honest diplomacy” takes practice. Biswas acknowledges that it takes courage to speak up when it feels “terrible” but that not speaking up is “terrible in another way.” How can this be used in the workplace? Consider why you’re speaking up, and let it come from that place of honest diplomacy. Also acknowledge if you’re speaking up on your own behalf, or for someone else, as that can affect the emotional component of the process.

And as for making one’s voice heard, it is important for Biswas that women stop wearing masks and find a way to speak honestly, in an “elegant, tasteful manner” about what they bring to a job.  Simply not expressing oneself may result from two possible dynamics, the first being a lack of self-worth. The second comes from lifelong cultural, gender and other stereotypes about how we “should” or “should not” behave. These unconscious “rules” often inhibit a woman from speaking up about the value she brings to the workplace.

Biswas notes, “I’m not suggesting we become boastful or megalomaniacs, but we should identify whether we’re afraid to talk about ourselves,” she said. It starts with baby steps. “Experiment with how you present it until it feels comfortable.  Time goes by — whether we crawl, walk, or eventually run towards growth — or stay static in our snug little cocoon,” she reminds us.

Brand, Presence and Being Effective at the Office 

Above all, Biswas feels that women should find a way to leverage their strengths where possible, but that developing one’s brand and presence is the “journey of a thousand miles.” Why so much effort? Because, as mentioned above, the process can be comprised of many small details. An example: Biswas cites a conversation which revealed to her a profound awareness of her own self-devaluation. While chatting with a girlfriend, she had casually referred to her speaking and writing success as luck, discounting the hard work involved. When this viewpoint was brought to her attention, she immediately realized she would not allow a friend to discount her own efforts or chalk up success to luck.

This is why she believes each woman, in order to be effective in the workplace, must first become her own best friend. “Think about what your best friend would say about you in a positive way,” she suggests, then asks simply: “If you can speak highly on your colleague’s behalf and advocate for her, why can’t you do the same for yourself?”

And on a practical level, to safeguard emotional health, she recommends analyzing the pros and cons of changing one’s environment if there is a significant mismatch between the individual and the organizational values and culture.

All of these lessons, analyses, and “psychological homework” can be invaluable for long-term achievement at the office, and the rewards can often outweigh the risks and effort.  As for that idea, Biswas sums it up succinctly:  “There is a huge impact of tiny choices on our success, power and happiness.”

Photo by: Scott OReilly