Karen Keller
Every person has attended one too many business conferences in his or her lifetime. You listen to savvy, smart people telling you everything they think you should do, be or feel. Most of which you already know. But you go anyway.
Take a close look at what is happening when you go. What will serve you? Who are you in these awkward exchanges? Besides your too-tight suit, hard-core makeup and brand new shoes, what are some important pieces you definitely should leave at home, or better yet, get completely rid of
Doubt. Want to be the ONE person at the conference everyone remembers? Adopt the attitude of approachability. In a sea of people all trying to get noticed, you have no choice but to be unforgettable and remarkable. Know that you’re going to stick yourself out there. Smile.
Doubt begins like this: You think you are on the right path. In fact, you KNOW it. All things look great. You know what your goal is, you have a mission and a vision. Then, you start to ask yourself, “what if . . . . ? questions. Or the “just suppose . . . statements. Or the 'shoulds’, like, “maybe I should . . . . “ Before you know it your spirit is dampened and you begin to wonder if your dreams will materialize. Everything seems further away, your dreams, your goals and your vision. The world begins to spin.
Be curious. Do something that makes strangers approach you and say, “What’s the story behind that?” Interact, don’t interrupt. Make friends first, business later. Attract—don’t draw attention. Your job is to be cool, fun and valuable!
Doubt is nothing more than fear about the future based on experiences in the past. Don’t let the stuff from the past determine your future. Keep moving forward!
Little Ms. or Mr. Know-It-All. Counter-intuitively, be more focused on yourself than knowing so much about everyone else’s business. In other words, set yourself up for: Having no competition.
Here’s what I mean: Are you “A” time management expert? Or are you “THE” time management expert…FOR NURSES? Are you “A” personal trainer? Or are you “THE” personal trainer…FOR WORKING MOTHERS? Are you “A” financial planner? Or are you “THE” financial planner…FOR URBAN NON-PROFITS?
Closing your mind to what could be or asking what else is there does a disservice to you and everyone you come in contact with. Then you turn away new ideas that could lead you to new innovations.
How does someone become a know-it-all? Who are the most likely candidates? The truth is that any of us can fall into the trap. But it is the wise ones who recognize this deadly trap and say no, “I want to hear and see what else is out there.” Who knows? It could be the beginning of something great, for you!
Just Enough. Confident communication comes from small victories first. Like this.
Avoid the word “interested.” It doesn’t have the confidence and persuasion of “willing.” Willing also uses more active language because it removes an “-ed” suffix from the sentence. For example, which of the following questions sound more confident?
“Ed, would you be interested in taking a lunch meeting?”
“Ed, would you be willing to take a lunch meeting?”
“If you do anything in a tiny way, you’ll get tiny results.” So the idea of ‘Just Enough’ will hurt you. You have to think big, dream big and DO big to get the BIG results. Nothing replaces hard, focused and powerful work.
There is an unsettling attitude running rampant in Corporate America today: the attitude of good enough. What happens when times get tough? That’s when good enough isn’t good enough. It's a lesson every single consumer, employee, business owner, CEO and entrepreneur should take heed of. Are you going to choose to be one of those with a "good enough" attitude or are you prepared to offer something more substantial? Are you participating in the price game or the quality game?
Bonus Tip: “Staying Attached to the Outcome” – placing absolutes on the outcome and results.
This last tip is a warning about being too obsessed with what you “have” to have happen. In other words, closing off your mind to what may be better than you hoped for would be a mistake!
Get excited about your next business conference. Look forward to what new experiences are in store for you. Move past the ‘I can’t... ‘ the ‘I Know That…’ or the ‘good enough’ attitude and explore what you can do better or more of.
Be surprised about what you are capable of doing, thinking, or believing. Make your next event a time where you will announce a new product or a new service or a new attitude!
