#BaxtersBuzz
There are
only 4 selling days left in the month. The leader board is sparse to say
the least. There are a couple of folks who have hit their quota, but most of us
are still just trying to close the business that we've forecast. Management is
nervous, per usual, and because they're only one-trick-ponies, they call
everyone into the conference room for a "come to Jesus" meeting. I
have a little anxiety just writing this.
"What
are you 100% certain will close this month?" They ask as everyone's name
is being written on the white board. Each name being more crisp than the last,
as management attempts to maintain its manufactured enthusiasm. 100% certain?
The honest answer is, "absolutely nothing," but those responses don't
go over well in meetings like this. So management encourages you to lie, so
they can feel better about the numbers they give upper management (then they
can blame YOU when those projected numbers fall flat). So as we all try to tell
the least ridiculous lie, pushing just a few chips into the center, here
come Big Money Bob. He talks about this huge deal (that's over half of his
entire monthly quota) and how he's certain that it will close before month's
end (for the record, this is the sixth month in a row that he's made some
variation of the same promise, yielding very few results). He's just doing what
we all should be doing....in a way.
Staff
Meeting Monotony - "Hello, let me tell you how great I am".
Whenever certain people interject themselves into a conversation, that's
typically all I would hear. Or you have these other people who think that
talking, even when you don't have something beneficial to say is the way to go.
And even though I think it looks silly, not everyone feels that way. Actually,
I'm the silly one. Rolling my eyes at these "clowns" while the VP of
our company learns their names and not mine. Damn, was I dumb!
Self
Advocate - It is important to advocate for yourself. It's
important to remind the group (and leadership) of the projects that you are
working on and what you bring to the table. The part that I struggle with is
how to do it organically. Sometimes there isn't a natural way to make people
aware of how awesome you are. I'm often very self conscious about talking
about myself too much. I'm wondering if that's a lack of confidence or just
being too aware? What if the reason that I don't want to talk is to not make
others self conscious (another topic for another day)? This is something
that I have been working on, because you either speak up for yourself or allow
others to control your narrative. I've been on THAT side of the aisle too many
times, thinking that my hard work would speak for itself, as it fell on deaf
ears.
What You Can Control - Maybe it is a weekly meeting with your manager. You ask for feedback,
but also give your thoughts on things. This would also be the appropriate time
to share some of your ideas or projects that she may not be aware of. We all
have so many things to balance during the course of a day, getting on your
boss's schedule for 15-30 minutes can make all the difference.
Preparation
Is Key - Be prepared to talk about company, how you can add value, and
what you are already doing to add value.
If you can't
get time on their calendar, be prepared with 1-3 items to mention during those
dreaded team meetings. Find a way to weave them into the discussion to remind
folks that you're still around and engaged. And if you feel that there's no way
to smoothly insert a comment into the discussion, do it anyway! It probably
won't be as bad as you think.
Self Made -
Big Money Bob was a guy I worked with in the past. He was always talking about
the deals that he was working on. Sharing these with anyone who'd listen. Very
few of them ever came to fruition, but we gave him the name of Big Money Bob,
because of the deals that he would talk about. That's like getting
the name Speedy because you talk about how fast you are, but you have never won
a race! It worked in many ways for Bob though. At least he was being talked
about.
The great
poet Shawn Jay-Z Carter asks, "Would you rather be underpaid or
overrated?" Sure, too much attention can backfire. There is no fool-proof
plan, but the presentation can be more persuasive than the substance IF DONE
CORRECTLY.
Hard work
doesn't speak for itself. It works! If you want your deeds to be recognized,
you better hire an agent or look for opportunities to inform leadership of what
you are doing. Odds are that you will be overlooked otherwise.
Read more.
Write more. Love more. Pray more. Live more.
