Are the numbers you track the numbers that matter? Do they tell the story of a success, of your success, or of someone else’s success?
These days, measuring is very easy. You can track basically every progress, every little step, every achievement, every moment. But are those the numbers that take you in the direction you have chosen?
Sometimes we celebrate because we feel we are connecting the dots, but the final image was drawn by somebody else. Be mindful if that is the case.
A big chunk of every job is managing expectations.
Of course, we want to say yes to everything. We want all the new customers and partners. We want to be perceived as competent, fast, and infallible. We want others to think that we do our work with ease even though our work is complex and uncertain. We want to project an aura of competence and confidence in any situation.
But if we do not manage expectations realistically, we will soon drown and take all those around us – colleagues, friends, family – with us.
The price is just too high.
It’s not imperative that you are involved in everything.
It’s not imperative that you understand everything.
It’s not imperative that you check everything.
It’s not imperative that you fix everything.
It’s not imperative that you control everything.
It’s not imperative that you point out the flaws and defects in everything.
It’s not imperative that you vet everything before it gets out.
Once you understand this, you will be surprised by how things still happen, with good results, without you being there to take credit.
It’s empowering.
It’s liberating.
The idea that by hiring more you will get more business is flawed.
The idea that by implementing more processes things will be running more smoothly is flawed.
The idea that by buying a new tool your employees will suddenly start to make sense is flawed.
The idea that by acquiring more customers your product will finally take off is flawed.
Hiring, processes, tools, and customer acquisition are fantastic ways to achieve goals, but they do not work in the same manner in all contexts. And particularly, they are not a cure for some fundamental flaws your organisation might have.
A general rule of thumb: if it works with ten people, you are ready to move to one hundred, one thousand, one million.
If it does not work with ten people, though, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and find a new way to make it work.
In the past four years, I have only replied to four cold outreach from sales or business development reps.
In two cases, I already knew the company. Their brand was so popular in my circle that I was just seeking an opportunity to work with them. When the sales reps reached out, I was sold already. I booked a meeting, and from there on it was just a matter of how.
In one case, the sales rep really put work and effort at personalising the outreach. I did exchange some emails with them, and the whole thing turned into a deal with another side of the organisation a few months later.
In one case, there was an offer for a €125 Amazon voucher to attend a demo. I did reply, the thing got too complex, and since I had absolutely no interest in the tool they were selling, I gave up easily and with a smile on my face.
I can’t say how many others I have gotten, but they all went to the trash bin or ended up accompanying some pungent posts on social media.
And yet, there is people that still believe that one plus one equals sale.
You've got this 