Andy Lykens

Innovating and operating through growth

Little things

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In marketing, there’s a concept called ‘positioning’ which is how consumers perceive a brand. It also informs how the brand is marketed by the company. It’s the difference in your mind between BMW and Mercedes, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, Nike and Golden Goose. Each of those brands holds some position in your mind, and those brands work hard to make sure they maintain that position.

Positioning can also apply to how we’re perceived in relation to others. Are we trusted and judicious? Speedy and efficient? Methodical and engaged?

Whether you like it or not, everything little thing you do builds on how you’re positioned in the minds of those you interact with. Taking the call, making the time, sharing the win. Even choosing not to interact with people affects your positioning.

I’m not suggesting you be everything to everyone – what kind of position would that be anyway? But if everything we do can make a difference in how we’re perceived by others, it’s worth being judicious with even the little things.

How hard is it really?

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That thing you’re avoiding, how hard is it really? What is the actual activity that you need to undertake?

Sending an email? Having a conversation? Raising your hand? Doing a little math?

Certainly these things aren’t hard. No one is asking you to push a boulder up a hill.

And even if they did, could you find a way to start? A lever and fulcrum. A group of allies and a meeting time.

It’s easier to predict an outcome of failure so that we have an excuse not to act than it is to actually act. And slowly, over time, the action we’re not taking slips away. And we wonder how we wound up like this.

It’s unlikely that what you’re avoiding is actually that difficult. And it’s equally unlikely that whatever outcome you’re imagining will be accurate.

If you do nothing but make excuses, you can be sure of an outcome that won’t be your idea (unless you’re very lucky).

So what are you waiting for?

Negotiations

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If you have a job, you’re a negotiator. Here are some examples:

  • Vendor contracts & relationships
  • Product sales
  • Performance reviews
  • Starting a new initiative
  • Cross-functional projects
  • Scheduling time on the calendar of a high-level person

Some of these negotiations are easy and some are hard, but they’re all scenarios where 2 or more people have different contexts and are seeking outcomes that may coincide a little, a lot, or not at all.

Being a good negotiator requires preparation and strategy. It means knowing what you want ahead of time. It means understanding what the other person wants and figuring out how to align their goals with yours. It requires being a great communicator – actively listening, precisely articulating, and diligently executing.

If you go unprepared into a situation that looks like a negotiation, don’t be too surprised if things don’t come out exactly as you’d hope (unless your goals overlap almost perfectly with the other negotiating parties).

The lazy genius

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There are definitely geniuses. Da Vinci comes to mind. Socrates. Einstein. Mother Theresa. Helen Keller. People whose very existence has such an impact on the world that they’re remembered for centuries.

There are also people who are famous, powerful, rich, or some combination thereof. These people are highly regarded for their impact. Some people may call them genius now, but time is still testing the merit of that descriptor in many cases.

In either case, we are really celebrating persistence.

What it takes to be a genius is showing up, putting in the work, and doing it again tomorrow. Focusing on incremental change. Getting back to it after a stumble. Refocusing on the most important thing after a distraction.

Most of us are geniuses (who’s to say you aren’t?) – we just might have a persistence problem.

Building trust

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It isn’t that your idea is bad. It isn’t that your personality is wrong. It’s not your clothes.

If people don’t know you, they don’t know where you’re coming from. They haven’t experienced working with you. They’re not familiar with your expertise and they don’t know why they need it.

So when you see an opportunity to make a connection, don’t squander it. Attention is rare and valuable and when you treat it as such, people respond positively. That doesn’t mean it’ll be an instant win. An instant win shouldn’t be your goal anyway.

Your goal should be making a small but meaningful connection. It may not seem like much, but it’s a first step on the path to building trust, and that path can lead to great things.

Tweak

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If you’re trying to be persuasive or helpful, if you need to sell something or influence someone, or if you need to get someone’s attention, you are probably hoping for a response.

Curiosity is a positive response. So is a statement. It could be an action like sharing, replying, or recommending. What it isn’t, is silence.

If you get only silence, the thing to do is to decide what to tweak. Deciding what to tweak can be hard because there is no formula for understanding the silence. For example, it might not be what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it (you can hone your message). Or, you may not be reaching the right people (you can hone your audience). It may also just be bad timing (in this case, consistency comes in handy). Most people won’t tell you “thanks, but no thanks.” If they do, that’s good feedback.

If you’re focused on getting others to take action be prepared to be patient and consistent. Be prepared for silence. Most of all, be prepared to make a tweak and try again.