BROWN BAG CONVERSATIONS with Marilyn H. West are now available!
Discuss business topics of your choosing at a place of your choice.
Please call 804.782.1938 for more information.
Invest in Others for a Big Return in 2017
Volume II, Issue 28
It's a New Year. I am thrilled that I exited 2016, leaving baggage behind and entering with a "sky is the limit attitude" as a key driver in carrying out those New Year Resolutions. Many have resolutions that focus on self-improvement. I have a few of those, BUT the one that returns the greatest satisfaction (in my opinion) is investing in others. This goal has served as a means of showcasing my strengths and signaling areas of weakness as well.
Occasionally I have made attempts to nurture others (including organizations) and have failed initially. However. persistence, leveraging self-confidence and experience, trashing and then reinventing my approach have been extremely valuable for winning fully or partially "buy in" from the targeted individual or organization.
So many times, a connection fails initially because the subject receives a message/vibe of unknowing insincerity, disrespect, incompetency or actions that suggest change or transformation before understanding how the subject's DNA impacts behavior, relationships, perspectives, values and more.
Accordingly, I have embraced the steps below to enjoy greater success in reaching others:
1) Understand that building the relationship is a journey
2) Research as much as possible the organization or individual that is the focus of the investment
3) Determine your capacity to move the subject to a next level based on research findings
4) Create an approach and comfortable environment for kicking off a first conversation that focuses primarily on the subject and not yourself
5) Assess the proceeding which should include some feedback from the subject about interacting further
6) Be prepared for a hard stop for exploring further interaction options when the subject displays behaviors such as looking consistently at his/her watch; gazing out the window; responding to a comment with irrelevant information; laughing when no humor has been extended; leaving the meeting to take several calls or using the alarm on a smart phone to abruptly end the meeting.
Connect with Marilyn at consulting@mhwest.com or 804.782.1938 throughout the new year of 2017 to construct strategies for investing in the growth of others or responding to other matters that impact your performance and that of your team. .
Join Marilyn for her first M4 telephone connect on Monday, January 9 at 2 PM, EST. Look for information in the January 9 Monday Morning Message.
