I was watching my two dogs playing today, as I took a break from working in my home office. Dogs always play with such abandon, with no agenda in mind (other than getting the ball, I would imagine.). As I watched them playing today, I realized that they offered me a peek at strategies we all could use to “get the ball” in our careers. Let me tell you a bit about my dogs, as it will help me explain the strategies. The older dog, Jessie is a small Australian Shepherd. She is seven years old, but her speed and tenacity makes her look almost puppy-like on the grass. Cooper is a 7-month old Mini Australian Shepherd. He is 3/4 the size of Jessie. He is fast, and incredibly bright, but neither as fast or tenacious as Jessie.
Today’s game went something like this. The first part of the game, I threw Jessie’s favorite ball into the yard, and Jessie sped toward it with lightning speed. Cooper hung back because he just isn’t as fast as she is. Jessie catches the ball, spins around and heads back to deliver it to me. Cooper knows that he could never win a race against Jessie, and has no hope of getting to that ball first, so he positions himself between Jessie and me (we call this “playing defense.”) As Jessie gets closer to me, Cooper makes his assault, leaping onto Jessie’s shoulder and wrestling the ball away.
As I watched Cooper’s strategy over and over, and Jessie tenaciously clinging to the same failed response to the ball, I thought about how many of us cling to the same way of doing things even if it continually produces a poor result. Call it habit, a rut, a personality trait, but we’ve all been guilty of doing something over and over and expecting a different result. Being tenacious is admirable, but is it time to look at areas of your business where you’re still not getting the results you expect? Perhaps you’ve been disappointed with the results of your networking, coming back from events feeling as though you’ve wasted your time, again. Would setting specific goals for your networking event, or researching ways to network proactively break the cycle of disappointment? Maybe your cold-calling routine is producing little or no results. Is it time to change your script, or even hire a virtual assistant to make the calls for you? Jessie will continue to chase the ball, just as she always does, because she lacks the ability to reflect on why she never seems to come up with the ball at the end of the chase . We are lucky, we can change strategies overnight and change our outcomes.
The second half of this game was so entertaining to watch, that I’m hoping to catch it on video for my blog soon. After I’ve thrown the ball, Cooper ambushes Jessie and steals it away. It takes a moment for Jessie to realize what has just happened. By the time she realizes that the ball is no longer in her mouth, Cooper is off and running. He is fast for his age, but Jessie can easily overtake him, and he knows this. The game (and the strategy) unfolds in a different way now. Once Cooper is running, with Jessie hot on his heels, he heads for the patio table set. In one glorious moment, in the middle of the first chase, he realized that while Jessie is faster, she is also bigger. He dives under the patio set and begins weaving in and out of the table and chair legs, crouched down, and impossible to catch. Jessie, being larger and not as flexible, can only run around the table barking in frustration. Occasionally, Cooper will dart from the safety of the table, and run around the garden shed, but only in short sprints, as he knows she can catch him if he runs too long. Back under the table, he moves around freely, still controlling the ball.
Cooper was showing me that you don’t have to be the biggest, or the fastest, but you have to work smart and capitalize on your strengths. Like a small-town clothing store taking on the retail giants by offering outlandish customer service, you can succeed against the odds by reaffirming your unique strengths and putting them to work for you. There is a particular zen in creating a life around your true gifts. When you work with authenticity, you are no longer competing because you’re offering something that no one else can offer: you.
If you aren’t already aware of the strengths you possess that can be incorporated into your business, there are several ways to identify them. If you have a file of testimonials, or perhaps thank you notes, read them all to see if there are one or two things that you’re consistently being recognized for. You’ll see a pattern emerge from the notes and testimonials, that pattern will give you a glimpse of your unique strengths that your clients value (and if your clients value them, then potential clients will seek them out.) Feel free to ask a colleague or friend to help with this if you feel as though you can’t be objective about yourself. Another simple way is to ask those whose opinion you value, to give 3 examples of your strengths. You’ll get a variety of responses, but pretty quick you’ll see a theme, whether it’s your caring nature, great follow up, or encyclopedic knowledge of your business. If you think better by working with words, then make a list of 10 things you’re most proud of in your life. Going down the list, write the strengths you demonstrated in each instance that made this a cherished accomplishment for you.
Once you’ve identified two or three strengths, review your marketing to see how you can re-position yourself by focusing on these unique qualities. You’ll find that your personal marketing gets easier, and branding flows, when you’ve plugged in to your authentic self.
With the lessons of Jessie and Cooper’s games you can break the cycle of being stuck in unsuccessful habits, and manifest the strengths you know in your heart will keep you ahead of the pack. And isn’t that what being top dog is all about?
Guest Blogger: Diana Hathaway-Timmons
email: Diana@KeepYourZen.com
website: KeepYourZen.com
253.514.8892
