This morning was my first run of the season with Team in Training, the fundraising athletic arm of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As I approached the aid station, I was working pretty hard.

“Did you wear sunscreen? You’re really burnt,” the volunteer said as she handed me Gatorade and some Goldfish crackers (I really love the Goldfish).

“I’m good,” I answered, still crunching. “I put sunscreen on this morning.”

“Oh, must be your red hair — you’ve got that redhead’s skin.”

A redhead? My gosh, woman! I’m not a redhead! I’m a brunette. I was born a brunette. I want to be a brunette. I think of myself as a brunette. The box of dye I buy to ensure I’m a brunette says “Dark Brown.” Is she blind?

But she’s not the first to call me a redhead. One time I was with someone else’s redheaded kids, and someone said, “I bet they got all that red hair from you.” I literally looked around to see if she was talking to someone else.

When others look at me, they see things that I don’t. I look in the mirror and see brown hair, thus I think of myself as a brunette. Now obviously it doesn’t make a scintilla of difference whether or not my hair is brown or red, but what happens if I’m seeing my business persona with the same mirror?

A new friend from Twitter, Global Patriot, talked the other day about a cool networking event he attended. The concept was kind of like speed dating, only it was speed networking. People interviewed each other for a few minutes and then jotted down a few key words that described their new contacts. At the end of the event, each participant had a word cloud of words that other people would use to describe him.

What an excellent idea — learning to see yourself as others see you. Do you come across as overbearing when you think you’re being enthusiastic? Do you see yourself as quietly polite, and could that be mistaken for introverted? Learning how others see you doesn’t mean you have to change yourself to meet someone else’s expectations. But perhaps discovering what other people notice about you will help you match your goals with the path that leads you there.

Hey, do you think she thinks I’m taller than I am? And thinner?

PS — Got 5 bucks? Please share… I’m raising money for Team in Training in honor of my mom.