The Big Money Bob Theory

#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.