By
Darrell Gurney
|
Blog
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” –Wayne Gretzky
As great a business person as we might be — business plans, strategic directions, cost/benefit and SWOT analysis — rarely in our personal-life pursuit of dreams can it all be sorted out so diligently beforehand.
Often, there’s no way to see a next step until you take the first one. You can drive anywhere at night with your headlights alone, 200 feet at a time. But you have to start driving to get to that next 200 feet.
Instead of letting our tendency to have it all worked out ahead of time run the show, a healthy course of action might often be “Ready, FIRE, Aim”.
We can always recalibrate once we’re in the actual playing field…yet getting past the paralysis of analysis might be the best and biggest foot we can put forward.
Where can you take a shot today even if you don’t have all the answers yet?
Got FIRE?
“The future depends on what you do today.” –Mahatma Gandhi
Q & A
Media Source: WorkWise.net
Topic: “Job Hunting Roadblock”
Reporter Query: “I’m looking for sources to discuss how highly competent job seekers unable to find the job they want can analyze what they’ve done to determine where they’ve come up short.”
CareerGuy Response: “Hi Mildred, As to your query, I believe a couple pertinent questions should be asked by every job seeker at the end of every day and every week:
1) Did I focus on relationships today/this week or did I focus on my desperate need for a job?
Most job seekers repel folks rather than attract because of wearing their desperate need on their sleeve.
In order to meet more people in positions of influence, industry or thought leadership, you have to have it be about something other than your need for a job. Put the need for a job aside, figure out what you’re really passionate about (something cutting edge in your current field, something hot and fascinating in another field, etc.) and approach people based on that interest. Folks will make time for you and, if you cultivate those meetings and nurture those relationships in a smart way, you will get to know and be known by the people in the know. Then, helpful news, information, and even opportunities can come your way.
2) Did I listen more than I talked when meeting with individuals in my career campaign?
People in transition are often led by their fear to be out only thinking and talking about themselves. This is not the way to get into the hearts and minds of powerful, decision-making folks they want to be known by. Rather, as discussed above, find reasons to contact folks based on passionate research you’re doing and then use the power of human psychology to climb into their good graces by being interestED rather than interestING. In The 5 Stages of a Stealth Interview, where the job seeker has set up the meeting with the thought leader, there is an artful way to get on the good side of this person…and it starts by listening to them, their path, their choices, and their decisions. Subconsciously, when folks are listened to and treated like an “expert,” they naturally start to think that the listener is pretty smart…as well as start to feel a certain beholden to them which silently says “You’ve done so much for me, what can I do for you?”
