What happens when you meet someone? What is the process of getting to know one another? Sometimes you find yourself saying the same things or sharing the exact same beliefs. I had that kind of call this morning. You are just in sync and it is very cool. Other times, you just feel the awkwardness of not having anything or at least little in common. That was seen last night on the Bachelorette. Sorry Bentley.
In business and in management, you establish a certain rhythm. Or maybe a better way to say it is, you have to find affinity and bring people to a same or similar page. I am excited to speak about this in October. This place is where growth, collaboration and wicked opportunity happen. The use of the word “wicked” is for the benefit of my friends on the east coast.
So I am writing this for a couple of reasons. One it speaks to the needs for a team of people to identify a common pulse. Get to know the people and then get to know the opportunities that lie ahead. It also establishes a philosophical train of thought I would like to express to couple of folks. Shamelessly, I say they are potential clients. It would be disingenuous of me to say, I do not want people to know who I am in an effort to grow my business. I want to grow. I want my clients to know me, know who I am, what I do and what I stand for. I also know this prose, this post is a limited means to express a pointed message. The words must act as my forum, instead of a live conversation.
Whether it is getting to know a new person, or thing, the goal is to find middle ground, right? Always find the affinity or degree of liking or common place. I teach that in my sales and communication sessions. In the business sense, identify what is driving the relationship. Perhaps another way of asking might be “what is the issue where we can come together and solve?” I need anyone I work with to know, this is my first stop. Identify the business need. And maybe that is premature as well. I would rather start with learning what makes the business or team what it is or who they are. Start with relationship first. In my mind, that is a given. However for the sake of the discussion, I should not take that for granted. Relationship first, business need second.
Then comes the answer or attempt at the answer. It is the process, the steps, the content, the learning objectives. They are discussed, played out, simulated and creatively thought about. This is the part when the relationship opens up. It is when you meet that person, have identified what you have in common (or not) and then the debate ensues. In business, the issue is this, now let’s talk about it. This is the dialogue phase.
And the next part is to plan. It is to look at how something gets “sticky”, how it becomes second nature or adopted. When you meet that person, you might ask, “So when do you want to get together again?” If the first steps have been done and you feel connected, this should be an obvious next step. In business, this would be the part when you know the issue, made assertions about what needs to be changed or grown, then what happens after everything has been said and done. In many, many ways, this is the part missed by so many organizations. They know the issue and have talked and talked, but what now? By virtue of putting 20 people in a room and then stating the obvious, somehow this event alone is supposed to solve the issue 6 months from now? Really? This is where I have been working lately. This last part is so very critical.
I was in Des Moines recently. I gave a speech about something very much tied to this. It was titled “Tending to the Business; Aspirin or Therapy.” Nutshell moment. The people we meet; are they just a momentary diversion; an aspirin fix when we need them? Or are we engaging relationships – truly getting to know one another and then planning something that lasts? Do you know them? Do you know your business issue? If we connect, it will be getting to know you and “it”, sharing ideas and then working the plan for what happens next. If I know you and your business need, I am close. Much closer to creating a game plan that causes both result (outcome) and adoption. I can share what happens tomorrow.
If asked what makes you “you” and what you need today to be successful, would you be able to share? Oh, sorry, am I speaking about meeting a friend or a client. I treat them the same way. Don’t you?
Cheers