I’ve been reflecting on some basic but profound wisdom lately. It came to me by way of Marshall Goldsmith, who attributes it to Peter Drucker. I feel sheepish about the time I’ve wasted in the past spinning my wheels in ways that could have been avoided if I’d really internalized these earlier — especially #1 and #4.
In my work with clients, I help people recognize and release sources of frustration at work. Sometimes these principles are a good starting point. Maybe this will be useful to you in your interactions with others in the coming days.
1) Every decision in the world is made by the person who has the power to make that decision. Make peace with that.
2) If we need to influence someone to make a positive difference, that person is our customer, and we are a salesperson.
3) The customer does not need to buy; we need to sell.
4) In selling, our personal definition of value is less important than our customer’s definition of value.
5) We should focus on areas where we can actually make a positive difference. Sell what we can sell and change what we can change. Let go of the rest.
I’m on a bit of a Marshall Goldsmith kick these days. He’s clear and helpful. My jam is books, but here’s a 4 minute video to give you a flavor of his advice. This is aimed at leaders coaching direct reports, but the framework could also be used by individual contributors to improve their relationship with a supervisor who isn’t naturally strong as a coach.
