Meditation required?

I attended the South Jeffco Business Alliance Meeting recently.  One of the presenters was Lisa Moore.  The other was Dr. James G. Wellborn from Children’s Hospital of Colorado.  The theme was “Work-Life Balance”.  The top half of Lisa’s handout reflects positive moods; the bottom half… well… we already know those, true?  

Both presenters discussed how stress at work and stress in our personal lives are so intertwined that each impacts the other and both impact our mood.  Each presenter emphasized what happens to us is less important than how we react to what happens to us.  As Charles Swindell put it: 

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. 

I was reminded of such a reaction recently when my wife, obviously frustrated and exasperated said, “I have to call Amazon support.”  A simple situation?  Calling support?  Well, it definitely put her mood in the bottom half of Lisa’s card. 

My wife sells personalized dog and horse products on Amazon (Thriving Pets International).  She qualified several years ago for their special program supporting small businesses called Amazon Handmade.  It has been great for her business, but it comes with a price. 

Of course, lots of companies sell on Amazon.  According to Wikipedia: 

Amazon is the world's largest online retailer and marketplace, earning the moniker “The Everything Store”. 

Selling on “The Everything Store” for those other companies comes with a price, too.  Oh, it’s not just the Amazon fees; their price is not merely monetary.  The price I’m referring to today pertains to accessing service and support.  Amazon is big and it shows, LOL!  (I wonder if they sell medication to help before we call their support?) 

My wife’s grim mood made me wonder instead of medication she might do a little meditation before calling Amazon support.  What do you think?  Do you hate calling a vendor’s support line?  Of course, vendors have been constantly changing their support lines; from on-shore to off-shore; from telephone to online; from humans to chat bots.  I can’t wait to see what Artificial Intelligence has in store for us all!  Can you spell Rx? 

I can only imagine what the mood is for those human client support people still providing the best service they can.  We clients are demanding:

After exhausting every possible way to assist an irate client for the past 45 minutes, and then concluding her phone conversation in the professional manner she had been trained for, the client service representative was heard to let out a pent-up, rhetorical question of frustration, 

“What does this customer want me to do about their problem, perform magic”??? 

Gary A. Pokorn 

We have many daily opportunities for a spoiled mood.  Self-control; now that seems to be the ticket.  Others we listen to can make self-control sound so simple.  It must be me; I must be a slow learner because I struggle heeding their straightforward advice : 

            If things go wrong, don’t go with them. 

                        Roger Babson 

During the meeting Dr. James G. Wellborn presented this questionnaire about hassles and uplifts.  The Top 10 hassles for middle-aged people wasn’t a real surprise.  However, it does seem to indicate that for all the negative talk we have about our jobs; our workload; our boss… calling customer support… its what’s happening outside of our occupation that’s dominating our mood. 

Maybe Lisa has it right – meditation (vs. medication) is a salvo to ease our mood. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Often overlooked…

I enjoyed reading about sales enablement on LinkedIn recently.  Did you see Cassandra Mingus’ article? 

There are 3 reasons why I enjoyed it.  First, I happen to know Mike Demmert (always great to read about our friends’ success).  Second, the topic is near and dear to me because I’ve been in the sales enablement field for over a decade.  Third, Cassandra Mingus did an excellent job of covering the “levels of success” required for effective sales enablement.  Especially the “often overlooked” level. 

In the book, Sales Enablement 3.0 ©, Roderick Jefferson offers examples of leading practices in the sales enablement field from his long and experienced career.  To be successful Roderick says  sales enablement leadership needs to get all constituents to come to agreement on a unified, strategic definition of the sales enablement function.  Cassandra writes that Mike does this well. 

Mr. Jefferson continues that once the strategic level is established, the tactical level of sales enablement (e.g. tools, documentation, metrics, etc.) will fall into place.  Well OK, but... 

            A little experience upsets a lot of theory. 

S. Parkes Cadman 

I noticed in his book, Roderick overlooked the “often overlooked” level of successful sales enablement.  Thankfully, Cassandra did not. 

I believe the “often overlooked” level may be THE level that determines the success (or failure) of a company's entire sales enablement program. It is the "street level" aka "street credibility" aka “street cred”.  IMHO, who delivers the content is more important than what the content is.  Mike Demmert being who Mike Demmert is, makes THE difference at Signifyd. 

We all know that clients and prospects are a tough and demanding audience.  Ultimately, they have the final word.  Yet, many companies have sales enablement content delivered by those who have not been “on the street” very long; have limited experience; overly reliant on theory. 

Beyond tough clients and prospects, young salespeople are also a tough audience because they have limited practical experience to relate sales enablement to (along with a limited attention span, LOL!). 

Senior, experienced salespeople are the toughest and perhaps even the most cynical audience.  They have been hardened against “sales theory” and company “party lines”.  They’ve been burned too many times trying to apply content directly from a sales enablement program without additional directions about what to expect once on the street. 

The opening to my slogan, “When life gets tough we could get a helmet…”  comes from street  experience.  Our Unknown Sage put it this way: 

     Good judgment comes from experience. 

          Experience comes from bad judgment. 

Mike and I were both “on the street” before moving into sales enablement roles.  When I work with salespeople (young and old) I find myself adding directions that can stray a bit from a company’s “party line”.  You know it’s coming when I say, “Now if I were you what I would do…”  and then I offer additional directions based on my experience. 

This “street cred” level is not a guarantee of sales enablement success.  Skilled sales enablement professionals must be careful not to assume just because they know the tools, tactics, and techniques; just because they have experience; that their enablement efforts have been properly absorbed. 

Afterall, we have all been in this situation: 

Winfield's Dictum of Direction-Giving: 

The possibility of getting lost is directly proportional to the number of times the direction-giver says, “You can't miss it." 

Unknown Sage 

Yes, even with street cred, we have to be mindful.  I know Mike is. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Facing our daily fears…

Where do you find the courage to face your day? 

In these “modern times” there is much fear, uncertainty, and doubt surrounding us, true?  Fear-blaring headlines!  The shrinking of our 401k; global warming; job insecurity; what our children are exposed to online.  It has been this drum beat of fear that stimulated the creation of my slogan at the bottom of this post.

I was reminded of my fears recently when I was asked what took so long to publish my book The Peace and Power of a Positive Perspective.  Originally granted a copyright in 2010, I finally published it and made it available on Amazon.  The past 13-years?  Well, I fretted; over-thought; and found other imaginative ways to avoid publishing it. But why? One word – FEAR! 

My son shared one definition of fear with me, courtesy of our favorite, Unknown Sage: 

            Forget Everything And Run! 

I had several fears in 2010. Fear I couldn’t figure out how to publish the book. Fear if I did no one would like it. Fear no one would buy it. Fear it would fall into oblivion.  I ran!  All of those fears may yet turn out to be true. Except fear #1 – I published it! 

To celebrate my son shared this second definition of fear: 

Face Everything And Rise! 

Rise – I finally did!  Our favorite Unknown Sage continues to help.  He or She helps by reminding us: 

            Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. 

                                  German Proverb 

You should consider yourself very lucky if the size of the wolf in your mind’s eye has not grown “bigger than he is”. 

There are other ways to face our fears.  Perhaps modern man can learn from earlier societies.  Take the ancient Greeks, for instance.  They believed their gods inspired man to approach the unknown without fear.  Imagine what life would be like if we could approach the unknown without fear. 

Imagine more faith; less control; more peace of mind; less fear; more courage, in the face of less certainty.  Is it possible that the affliction modern man has is we prefer “knowns” while fearing “unknowns”?  Where the ancient Greeks emphasized faith and inspiration, are we emphasizing antacids and high blood pressure medication? 

One would expect that the advancement of modern science and the higher level of thinking by modern man would serve to lessen the fear, uncertainty, and doubt in our lives.  David Ben-Gurian suggests that knowledge and courage are linked: 

Courage is a special kind of knowledge; the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how to not fear what ought not to be feared. 

We obviously have things in our lives we ought to fear.  We can’t think those things away; or will them away; or gain such tight control over every aspect of our life that we never have to fear another unknown.  

We have to face our unknowns.  (I feel that wolf getting bigger!  Where is an ancient Greek when we need one?) 

Can the remedy for the fears we face each day be as simple as having the type of faith that prevailed in olden times? 

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.  To one without faith, no explanation is possible. 

                        Thomas Aquinas 

Thomas Aquinas was a 13^th century theologian and philosopher.  He may not have ever been on Facebook, but his advice along with the ancient Greeks’ beliefs can help us all avoid buying helmets. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Just for the fun of it…

How about a little ditty today just for the fun of it?  Actually a collection of little ditties.  Here are a few that have caught my eye – and my sense of humor – over the years.  I attribute all of them to that favorite Unknown Sage of ours.

I have read some of these in a book; some I have seen online; many I have seen on something as simple as a T-shirt, coffee mug, hand towel, or bumper sticker.  I bet you see quips, quotes, and pieces of positivity every day, too.  Hopefully, you’re paying attention:  

Always…when there's a scenic route, take it.  Arriving late and nasally challenged because you've mistakenly driven by the septic plant is still better than being punctual and bored. 

Robert Fulghum 

From time to time life’s nicest pleasures come from simple, old fashion, off-line sources, true?  Admittedly, I’m leveraging social media to share this post with you.  I don’t have enough room in my closet for all of those T-shirts I’ve seen, and I don’t have a big enough bumper for those bumper stickers.  I guess there really is a place for the online world in our lives today. HaHa! 

Here we go: 

            Love, Marriage, and Family 

I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes... so she hugged me. 

Retired: Free to do whatever my wife wants me to do. 

Murphy's Paradox: 

Doing it the hard way is always easier. 

Children enrolled in ski lessons are required to wear a location beacon in case they get lost.  We find most of them. 

“Adulting”? 

The officer said, "You drinking?" I said, "You buying?" We just laughed and laughed... Now I need bail money. 

You know that little thing inside your head that keeps you from saying things you shouldn't?  Yeah, I don't have one of those. 

Nothing is easy to the unwilling. 

Labor Rates:

     Regular        $ 24.50

     If you wait    $ 30.00

     If you watch   $ 35.00

     If you help    $ 50.00

     If you laugh   $ 75.00 

Masters of the household 

A dog accepts you as the boss...  A cat wants to see your resume. 

Welcome to my kitchen where many have eaten here and few have died. 

Billings' Law: 

Live within your income, even if you have to borrow to do so. 

From a Father’s Day card: 

Dad, you taught me to always keep going and to never lose sight of my goal or my sense of humor along the way.

Technology 

It’s commonly referred to as “technology”.  I trademarked it as Dark Ages Computing ® 

Just once, I want a username and password prompt to say, "close enough". 

Never let a computer know you're in a hurry.    

The New Math Version of Murphy's Law: 

If there is a 50/50 chance of something going wrong, nine times out of ten it will.     

“Modern” Medicine 

My doctor asked if anyone in my family suffered from mental illness.  I said, "No. We all seem to enjoy it." 

I told my wife I wanted to be cremated.  She made an appointment for next Tuesday. 

Cirino's Law of Burnt Fingers: 

Hot glass looks the same as cold glass. 

          Young's Handy Guide to the Modern Sciences: 

If it is green or it wiggles -- it is Biology.

If it stinks -- it is Chemistry.

If it doesn't work -- it is Physics. 

I hope you enjoyed today’s little compendium.  Please share those you see while traveling life’s highways, OK? 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Corporate (fill in the blank)…

Ah, “Corporate”; aka “headquarters”; aka “home office”; aka “staff”… all words of stimulation, true?  How do you fill in the blank “Corporate X”?  How do you respond when you hear someone from headquarters is coming out to meet with you?  Does it bring to mind a mood of celebration?  Or doom, HaHa! 

To be fair, I spent most of my career in the field.  I can’t really relate to HQ with any meaningful, personal experience.  As an outsider to headquarters, when I was informed of a visit from the home office it usually wasn’t cause for a celebration. 

I remember my first exposure to a “corporate review”.  The Chicago office had finished our fiscal year under quota; definitely not a cause for celebration. HQ sent a senior executive to interview each sales rep individually to see if there was a people problem or a leadership problem.  I had just started as a “National Account District Manager”, one of the first eight people in this new role at the company.  When my corporate review started I thought it was a good idea to explain to the senior executive how my national account sales process differs.  He cut me short, “Gary, we know what you do…”  Ouch. 

Fortunately, I survived that review and the next twelve months turned out to be a break-out year for me.  Was the HQ visit a catalyst for my success?  Well, it probably didn’t hurt: 

But all things finally began to move when the threat of help from headquarters was received. 

Norman Augustine 

In the sales profession we have pursued a variety of strategies when selling to big companies; tops down; bottoms up; access through their consulting firms, accountants, bankers, etc.  In some cases, selling to corporate begets us a competitive advantage with selling to their business units.  That was the catalyst to my break-out year following that visit from corporate back in the day. 

Brunswick, a Chicago corporation, was fending off a hostile takeover (popular in the early 1980s).  To raise capital and fund an aggressive stock buy-back, they sold their medical division.  The problem (for them) was their medical division was running payroll for all the other divisions.  The advantage for my company (ADP) was we processed their “Corporate Payroll”.  I leveraged that access to sell all of their divisions a payroll solution, my first “big deal” as a NADM. 

Throughout my career, I also experienced the other end of this corporate-field spectrum.  Rick Page in his book Hope is Not a Strategy wrote about that side of the equation: 

Having business at one business unit not only doesn't help me at the next one, it can actually hurt me.  They hate each other so much that if one business unit is for me, the others will be against me.  But they are all united in one value:  They all hate corporate. 

Yes, there have been many battles over the years between business units, aka the “field” and headquarters aka “corporate”.  Which one “breaks” things?  Which one “fixes” them?  Paul Dickson offers: 

Question: How many executives does it take to change a light bulb? 

Answer:   Two. One to assure the staff that everything possible is being done, while the other tries to screw the bulb into a water faucet. 

I may not have always “hated” corporate.  But when staff showed up from headquarters to conduct a review I always made sure our lights were operating properly. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.