We live in a 24 hour connected society with lines between “my time” and “company time” becoming more and more blurred. Millennials, and soon Re-gens, are accepting constant connectivity as the norm for the most part. They don’t seem to feel the need to disconnect. This goes for business and personal connectivity equally. Unfortunately that is the rub for most businesses. They want constant connectivity for business but not so much for personal.
A week doesn’t go by that I don’t get questioned on how I fit all I do and keep it together. “There’s not enough time, Chris! How do you do it?” Just thinking about that question makes me tired and yet I do my daily, weekly, monthly and annual tasks with consistency. I have a 1.5 to 2 hour commute each way, work at least 9 hours a day, design and maintain our company website and my three sites, write articles, perform church leadership responsibilities and most importantly be an attentive father and husband. I network, socialize and demand “my time” even though some days I just feel rotten. I do more than I ever had before because I have developed a mindset to do so. I stopped feeling guilty.
What if I told you that to be successful meant to NOT recognize a box at all. That using previous experience, yours or others, meshed with new inspired thinking brought possibilities never imagined. That wrapping your mind around concepts totally free of limitations yet inspired by previous experience and knowledge is enlightened thinking. Let me explain.
I’m in a meeting and we’re going through a thorough needs analysis. Taking notes frantically in my trusty Moleskine notebook, I realize my hieroglyphic scratchings would need to be presented later and hopefuly agreed upon. Focusing on the later I make sure my notes include their wants and haves and can be presented simple and easy later. Not an easy task to be sure. Once finished I walk away feeling secure in my information gathering. One problem however. I have no clue what to do with this newly gleaned information that would help me close the deal. How do I present, compel, for the most impact to win the sale? After years of trial and error this is what I found that works.