Career

My new favorite word: practice.

Many years ago, my first (and last) boss referred to our recruiting business as a practice. I thought it sounded so cool and professional. It made it seem like our contingency recruiting firm was playing on the same field as the large, global executive search firms who we revered and aspired to become.

I haven’t thought about the word practice much until recently. It has been coming up in more than a few strategy sessions and definitely worth revisiting.

Just last week, I was with a very successful young attorney who said she wanted to embark on a field that is allied with the Intellectual Property practice that she serves. Her fear is that she has “never worked on a Corporate Litigation case before”. I asked her what she did when she landed her first case out of law school in Intellectual Property. Did she know exactly what to do at that time? Had she ever done it before? Of course not. We talked about the fact that every day that we take on a new client, play our first round of golf, or learn a new skill of some sort, we are practicing to get better for the next time.

A week later, a friend of mine who is a genealogy expert, told me that she had a request for a major project which requires her to use a particular software so that she can deliver a professionally developed book to her client.”I’ve only use it a few times,” she lamented. “I have to get better at it.” Of course you do, and you will,” I said. Every time you are asked to do a search for a new client, it will get easier, because what you practice today prepares you for your next client tomorrow.

In the medical field it’s call residency. All those young interns are practicing, albeit at the supervision of an M.D. At some point, when it’s their turn to take on their first patient in the real world, all of the habits and processes that they learned as residents become a part of their practice.

Whether you are an HR Manager in charge of Employee Relations at a Fortune 500 company, an Audit Manager at a Big 4 accounting firm, or my friend the genealogist, keep on practicing. It’s the only way to not only get better at what you do, it also brings in more clients!

It’s that time of year when, even though it is better to give than receive, we all are in receipt of some sort of gift. If you work in a large company, maybe it’s the gift you are getting in the office grab bag. In a smaller company, it may be a bonus check directly from the owner of the company or your supervisor. What about Aunt Sarah up in Maine who sends you that awful fruit cake every year? Doesn’t matter. They all deserve a thank you. In this crazy world of digital communication, why not be the standout human being who takes a minute to write a personal thank you note?

Here’s how:
1) You can buy a box of thank you notes.
2) You can go online to a place like Vistaprint, and print your own personalized notes.
3) You can go to your local stationer and have them help you design an elegant engraved note.
It really doesn’t matter what KIND of note, it just matters that you are taking the time to WRITE a note.

Think about it, thanking someone in this very personal way is an act of giving in its own right. It shows that you have taken the time out of your busy schedule to be thankful, thoughtful and courteous.

Makes the holiday mahem seem all worthwhile.

Every where I go someone is talking about finding their passion, reinventing themselves or, as my publicist Amy Delman so brilliantly said it: reimagining themselves.
Oprah even has a 2 minute quiz to figure out your next step and improve your life.

So here goes:
1. Take this quiz, compliments of Oprah Winfrey. Two minutes to make you think about how different parts of your life can be improved.

2. If you haven’t already, read The Law of Attraction by Michael Losier. He tells us that we attract to our lives whatever we give our attention, energy, and focus to, whether positive or negative. When I imagine meeting a potential new client at a networking event, they show up. When I haven’t spoken to an old friend in forever, they call. When I am looking for a new idea for my next book, I miraculously meet someone new and exciting and come up with my next great chapter!

3. Take a class about your passion. Like cooking? Take a cooking class. Like ballroom dancing. Go for it! Enjoy photography? Get a camera (not the one on your iPhone) and snap away. But for goodness sake’s, get out of the office, away from your computer, and step into the world of what may be your next “GREATNESS”.

4. Go to a networking event. NOT the one you have been going to for the last three years every other Thursday morning. Find one where you will meet new people, get fresh ideas and open up the universe to new possibilities. Start fishing in uncharted waters.

5. Develop a support system of friends, nurturers and fans: people who want you to be successful. Differentiate “friends” who are Dream Slayers from those who carry your torch.

Most importantly, spend just a few minutes everyday getting comfortable reimagining YOU! Life is a book filled with many chapters. They all have to be written by you!

I don’t watch a lot of television. I prefer reading. But in those rare moments when I DO take a moment to turn on the TV, one thing is for certain. If I don’t like what I am watching, I change the channel. No point in complaining about something that doesn’t interest me. No point in wasting time. No point in watching something that doesn’t make me laugh or teach me something new.

Why can’t we do the same thing when it comes to disrespectful clients, toxic relationships or unfulfilling careers?

Years ago I had a client named Cindy. She had come in to my client’s HR department like a hurricane, firing staff and suppliers in her wake. Fortunately for me, the Executive VP of Finance loved our company, so Cindy couldn’t get rid of me so fast. What neither party knew, was that I had never had a client like her. EVER. After three episodes of her outrageous outbursts, screaming at me and my team and falsifying information, I fired HER. I placed a call to the EVP, explained the situation and told him, very nicely, that we could not continue our relationship as it stood. I didn’t expect the company to fire her. I also knew (know) that time is money. It was clear that she didn’t want to work with us. Instead of hitting our heads against the wall, we simply changed the channel. We stopped calling her and moved on to new clients who wanted to engage us.

I have had similar situations with toxic “friends”. The kind of “friends” who expect an invitation to a party or event you are hosting and then never reciprocate. The kind who talk about you behind your back (and everyone else’s BTW). The kind who contingency plan, confirming a date and then conveniently cancelling because something better has come up or they “forgot”. Luckily, I haven’t had too many of these toxic “friends”. But when I find out who they are, I change the channel. Life is short and time is precious.

About five years ago, I was no longer passionate about vetting candidates through the big black hole of the internet. The up close and personal relationships I had forged took a back seat to RFP’s, PEO’s and other assorted acronyms. I get that. Business models change. I just wasn’t passionate about operating in that model any longer. When the game changed and I no longer loved what I was doing, I did what I always do. I changed the channel. Hundreds of teams and executives later, I am happily following my passion again. This time around as a communication strategist, author and public speaker.

Is it time to change the channel? What situation have you been in where you had to change the channel? I’d love to know. Comment below or feel free to email me at [email protected].

I often hear people say: I will call that potential client tomorrow. I’m planning on visiting my parents soon. I will learn to ski/play golf/speak another language. Many of us think that we are immortal, and that there will forever be a tomorrow. Like Annie sang in the Broadway play with her name: tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow, you’re always a day away. Part of the takeaway is that life is full of hope. And we can always look forward to changing something to make it better tomorrow.

But the reality is: life is short. Time is money. We can waste it, save it, or spend it. And how we value time, and what we do with our time, over time, you will excuse the pun, results in our legacy. Not being morbid. Just being realistic. When we are 20, 30 and 40, life seems to have endless possibilities. When we reach 50, we start to think, hey, maybe I AM on the back nine. For real. And with that comes the the reality of how our decisions over the course of time panned out. Whether you’re a Millennial or a Baby Boomer, taking stock every so often to evaluate where you are, what goals you have achieved, and what you want the future to look like, is an important part of having a legacy that will stand for who you are.

So with that in mind, write your obituary. I know you think I am crazy, but it will bring into focus the need to seize every day and live everyday with purpose.

Ask your self today, what have I accomplished? Not every accomplishment has to be bottom-line driven. Maybe you coached your kids all through high school, maybe you had numerous charities that you supported and volunteered for, maybe you were Teacher of the Year, a great golfer or bowler, or maybe you won every award on the planet for your business.

Doesn’t matter. What matters is leaving a meaningful legacy, making every day count and living a life of purpose. Now go on, write down your legacy. If you like it. Wonderful. If there are things missing, get your ask in gear.

Once upon a time someone said: there are three kinds of people: the ones who make things happen. The ones who watch things happen. And the ones who say: what the heck just happened?

What will your legacy be?