You, Incorporated!

Many participants who join our courses do so for the primary purpose of improving their knowledge in a specific topic or honing a particular skill or competency. A key objective we at Meirc always strive to achieve, is give our attendees the extra edge to operate in a highly competitive and demanding work environment. The expectations from all those involved (nominators, participants, facilitators and Meirc) are quite high as everyone is investing into this special relationship, whether through money, effort or time, to reach a successful outcome.

Keeping that objective in mind, I tend to link job related matters to the “A” factor: i.e. Attitude. I normally approach the topic from the context of how we view ourselves, and how our attitude affects our self-perception. To a large extent this is where personal success starts. So, occasionally, I ask my participants how they perceive themselves when they are at work. Do they view themselves simply as employees, or more like influencers when it comes to their own success and that of their organization? At the beginning, not all get the idea behind the question. However, after some deliberations, we arrive at the interesting conclusion that our success is largely within our control, and that the way we perceive ourselves and deal with events in our lives, play a key role in how far we excel.

Thinking inside-out, instead of the other way around (outside-in), is a substantial change in one’s mindset, and this deserves some reflection and a re-evaluation of self, work, and pretty much everything we do. At the end of the day, the time we invest in knowing who we really are fundamentally affects the habits we adopt, the types of relationships we build, and our interactions with our surroundings. Yes, we can be quite successful; however, we cannot do it without the help of others; and to adequately avail ourselves of such help we need to start with our own behaviors and how we understand ourselves.

For many of us, it takes a lifetime to discover who we are. Our parents call it maturity, psychologists call it emotional intelligence, and philosophers call it wisdom. Regardless of the term we use to describe it, it has a direct impact on how we look at things, at our tasks, priorities and responsibilities. Such realization and shift of mindset is a great place to start, and the challenge is in how to accelerate this journey of self-awareness and build the right attitude that would bring personal success and self-actualization.

Another way I stress the “A” factor is by sharing with my participants stories from my career journey. Each of the jobs I assumed throughout my career had its own special moments. However, I can easily say that my years in sales played a significant role in helping me see things from a different perspective, something my other jobs didn’t quite provide.

While working in sales can be quite stressful, it can also be quite rewarding. Moreover, I personally consider sales a wonderful career path, but more importantly an amazing way to improve and know ourselves. Come to think of it, every time we meet a customer or close a deal, we learn something new about people, and more importantly about ourselves. Such self-discovery is critical in building meaningful relationships outside and within the organization, all of which are vital throughout the sales process or lifecycle. Consummate sales executives always hone their skills and check their mindsets because they know real success happens through self-renewal, seeking the assistance of others, and developing strong and reliable relationships inside and outside the organizations.

Sales exposed me to a variety of human and soft skills many of which we normally pay little attention to when we are in college or university. I am referring to some of the inside-out skills such as resilience, building relationships, influencing, negotiating, presenting, organizing, and much more. Yet, these unique skills are what we rely on when dealing with the challenges life throws at us. This is why many successful sales executives are favorites to assume leadership roles, since they have mastered many of these vital human skills and turned them into habits of success.

Working in sales requires we think of ourselves as a “walking P&L ”. It is as if we are running our own company. Let us suppose for a minute you are running your own company, wouldn’t you make every effort to keep things moving smoothly, constantly finding ways to keep your company attractive, and relevant to your customers? Of course you would, otherwise customers will go elsewhere. These same principles apply when it comes to running your own brand, or “You, Incorporated”. The challenge is in keeping your own personal brand, or “You, Incorporated”, a priority despite all the challenges that may arise. Ultimately, if we feel good about ourselves, then doing well becomes a consequence rather than just an obligation.

In his book “Making It all Work”, David Allen talks about the self-management matrix, and the extent to which we apply the dimensions of perspective and control. With high control, and high perspective you are a “Master and Commander”, “keeping the eye on the prize with attention to critical detail, while holding steady with a firm but flexible hand”. The same applies when it comes to the inside-out and outside-in mindsets. The inside-out provides us with a unique perspective of ourselves. For example, what are our priorities, and what are the things that really matter to us. The outside-in, on the other hand, guides us on the amount of control we are ready to relinquish to external factors over our priorities. For example, what and how many external factors are we ready to tolerate, push back on, or negotiate? How flexible are we about changing our objectives should external factors dictate it? Striking a balance between the inside-out and the outside-in perspectives is central to reaching a harmonious state within ourselves, and with our surrounding, and this is critical to understanding the context of “You, Incorporated”.

So, what habits should we adopt in order to address the high demands of today’s and future jobs, while keeping our “You, Incorporated” running successfully, and productively? At the end of the day we are the most important thing we will ever own. Here are some tips I find quite useful:

Tip 1: Being honest

Being honest is my first advice, as it forms the foundation for strong and healthy relationships with ourselves as well as with others. I am not talking about being blunt or obnoxious, rather about being factual and to the point. This takes practice, as one can say something in different ways, yet with experience, we can discover the best ways to say it more convincingly, without hurting other people’s feelings. However, if we compromise on honesty, nothing else will matter for dishonesty is easy to spot, and trust is so easy to lose.

Tip 2: Channeling your charm

Putting on a happy face is my second advice, especially when you are honest about it. This is where charm can come in. Olivia Fox Cabane, an executive coach and author of The Charisma Myth, defines charm as likability and “how delightful it is to interact with someone.” So, if you have it, why spare it? On the contrary, when you channel your charm in an honest way, things will move more effortlessly.

Tip 3: Setting common expectations

Setting common expectations is my third advice. Without setting such expectations, we cannot manage them. I am a firm believer that when we set expectations right things flow smoothly and more professionally. This also means the chances for misunderstanding and conflict are lessened, which helps move things forward. Setting expectations is vital to defining the field of play, and to dealing with deviations as they arise. Hence, being clear about our wants and needs makes it easier to communicate them.

Tip 4: Continuous learning and development

My fourth advice relates to the rapid changes we are observing today. “You, Incorporated” can literally become irrelevant over relatively short time spans as technological advancements are rapidly altering the skills and knowledge associated with our jobs. We need to update our knowledge regularly, since the job skills we have today could become obsolete in no time. We need to always learn and self-develop, as it is paramount to stay relevant and of value to our brand, and to the organization we work for.

Tip 5: Being creative

It is not enough to gain new knowledge. Just as important is what we do with it. Not all of us feel comfortable trying new things or suggesting novel ideas and acting up on them. Yet, our workplace challenges us daily to come up with new ideas, change processes, improve procedures, serve customers better, generate value differently, cut cost faster and so on. While we cherish consistency, accepting creativity as a new and core skill is essential to the jobs we perform.

Tip 6: Being courageous

My sixth and last advice is just as important as number one. It is about reflecting upon our failures and achievements, and courageously accepting and learning from our mistakes. We need to act on feedback we receive from self or others, and set new goals to develop and improve ourselves, and keep “You, Incorporated” vibrant, relevant and of value. Most importantly is doing this regularly, diligently, and expeditiously.

I have no doubt you have your own tips for the success of “You, Incorporated”. Do not hesitate to share some of them. We all can learn new ways to boost our brand and our contribution. Regardless, always be of value, and distinguish yourself on all fronts.

1. P&L is an abbreviation for Profit and Loss