In our work lives, how often do we get in our own way?!

In my time working with sales professionals, I’ve found that one of the biggest ways we delay or reduce our success (however we define it) is by getting in our own way. We all know that it can help to be more detached, but may not be sure how to do it. Today I’m going to offer some steps to take, and the benefits that will bring.

In Sweden, an old term for ‘business’ is naringslivet which literally means ‘nourishment for life’.

How nourishing is your work to you? How ‘alive’ does it feel under your gaze?

Everything in life is energy:

Our emotions are energy, and when we meet with a client we’re simply exchanging energy. Our work needs to feel energized and alive – out there on that slightly dangerous edge where we’re alert to possibilities – in order for us to gain the rewards we’re looking for. And as we learn to see our work as alive, we become more alive too, and that extra energy will keep us sustained as we move forwards.

When we can contemplate our work as separate from us, and as a living, breathing thing, it can give us a different and powerful perspective. What does it need from us? Where is it stuck, and what are those blockages? When is it most energized?

To detach enough from our work to be able to see it with fresh eyes is essential if we’re to remain alert and vibrant in the marketplace.

The steps required:

Here are the steps I believe are required for us to see the changes we want:

1. awareness that we’re flat, or stagnant, or pushing way too hard – often not easy when we’re on the work treadmill
2. willingness to alter our perspective; there might be a better way
3. space to think about what our work needs from us – not what we need from our work!
4. detachment - refusing to identify with what we see, being instead a witness and standing back
5. writing down what we learn, to keep it in the front of our minds
6. taking action if needed

To be able to hear the living voice of our work, it’s vital to detach ourselves before we attempt to ask the questions we need to; and we need space to detach – at least an hour, away from the office – where we can walk, or sit with paper and pens and have time to think.

If it’s hard for you to detach, it can help to imagine that you’re giving advice to someone else who’s in your position. Or imagine that your work has its own distinctive voice – what’s its tone, and what is it saying to you? We can have fun with this!

Questions to ask:

My original background is in the performing arts, and in my work with sales professionals I often use a slightly unorthodox approach; for example:

• If your sales career were a painting, what would it look like right now?
• What do you want it to look like?
• If your work were a type of music, what would it sound like if played right now? Jazz, Rock, Country and Western?
• What would be its ideal style?

We could also ask:

• What qualities our work needs from us at this point – for example, courage, trust, humour
• What – if any – action steps it needs from us right now (it may actually need us to stop taking actions if we’re habitually frantic with busyness)
• How it could evolve to its next level if we kept out of it!
• Where it gains its energy - what feeds it?
• Whether it needs any new outside support

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Sarah Denholm is the founder of Dynamic Results Group, a training, coaching and consulting company who run presentation and listening skills workshops for sales professionals on how to create a persuasive and memorable message, together with advanced listening skills such as her “Say Less, Sell More!” seminar. Sarah is a popular speaker on sales, sales management and the art of listening and resonating with the customer.

Email: sarah@dynamicresultsgroup.com

Web: www.dynamicresultsgroup.com