Commentary from Strategic Positioning

Strategic Positioning:

Before we move on to the U's – be unique (and extra-ordinary) and apply urgency (even when urgency may not be present), I received some thoughtful commentary regarding Friday's essay on finding your dream job, from my friend Jim Blanchard of Strategic Positioning. Jim suggested I look at my 'Birkman Profile' in relation to the following paragraph from the post. (The Birkman Profile is an industry-leading personality assessment that facilitates team building, executive coaching, leadership development, career and talent management and interpersonal conflict resolution.) Jim's comments bracketed in bold:

Do stuff you love to do (emotionally vested, passionate) [Your interests are what makes you happy], stuff you are good at (talents, focus, drive, energy) [Your usual and most productive behavior], and stuff that someone will pay you to do (what the world needs.) [Find the environment  that satisfies your own needs, because you cannot be fully productive unless you are in a place that meets your inner needs and nourishes you.]

This all points to the importance of knowing yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your behavioral tendencies in certain situations? The Birkman Profile is a great way to help you understand these things. There are other similar (but different) tests, such as the popular Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or DISC, a quadrant behavioral model that evaluates peoples' traits within their environment or within a specific situation. MBTI and DISC are inexpensive and can be found on-line, however I think it is important to discuss your results with an expert and to hold yourself accountable to improving in specific areas. I can personally recommend Jim's work at Strategic Positioning (Austin, TX) or the talented folks at The Flippen Group in College Station, TX.

On a lighter note, as we churnOn into May, the always clever sign in front of Cedar Creek Elementary says:

"Don't be a pessimist, it won't work."

What does it mean to love your work

Finding the dream job:

The best description I have found around the idea of loving what you do, comes from Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their book, The Power of Full Engagement. To be fully engaged (i.e. to love your job), "we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest." (p. 5) Notice how that sentence is basically the same as the sentence I ended yesterday's essay with from Stephen Covey: "I will tap my talents and fuel my passions, in a way that rises out of a great need in the world that I am drawn to by conscience to meet – for therein lies my voice, my true calling, my soul's code."

Another way to say the same thing would be do stuff you love to do (emotionally vested, passionate), stuff you are good at (talents, focus, drive, energy), and stuff that someone will pay you to do (what the world needs.) That is the place to be if you want to be a champion sales professional.

Next week we continue this series with a look at what it means to be 'unique' when selling. ELU to the power of two: Energy, Enthusiasm, Likability, Love, Unique, and Urgent.

Love what you do and know it well

Are you in your sweet spot?:

I believe the champion sales professional truly loves their job. They love the product they sell and the company they represent. Furthermore, the champion sales professional knows their product in great detail. They know the features and benefits of their product and more importantly they are able to find out how the product or service can meet the needs of the client. This does not mean that their job, company or product is perfect, but it does mean that they enjoy their work and that their love for the work overshadows any shortcomings or challenges.

I have seen sales people who sell products in an industry where they don't consider themselves an expert. Some are even very good sales people, because they have what it takes to persevere in spite of the fact that they don't enjoy the  industry. For example, a person who does not enjoy technology, might be a good technology sales person if they have the other tools (of champion sales people) and if they are surrounded by talented technologists who they can lean on for assistance. While this may be okay, it is not ideal, because these individuals are not matching their talents with their passions.

Remember Stephen Covey's quote that I like so much: "I will tap my talents and fuel my passions, in a way that rises out of a great need in the world that I am drawn to by conscience to meet – for therein lies my voice, my true calling, my soul's code."