Hi Friends,
Here is your end-of-the-week insight into what I see going on in the business world, what I’m thinking about, and what I’m learning about. Forward anything that you feel inspired to share
I was a part of many 1:1s this past week. During those 1:1s, the account executives were asked to write a narrative answer to the following questions: “What did they do well this past week?” and “What were your weaknesses over the past week?”
These two questions are designed for the account executive (or anyone really, I ask myself these questions every Sunday about my personal interactions) to become introspective. The idea is that they dig past the surface of outcomes down to the root.
Ideally, they discover things that are repeatable or avoidable.
So, what does that look like? Here’s an example.
“This week, I was able to focus much better on my morning tasks, thus completing more calls than I had in the past month. This happened because I changed my morning routine. I realized that about a month ago I started just getting up and starting work. I thought that was the only way to get everything done. I realized my mind was cluttered and distracted because I was not going for my morning walk. So, my strength this week was recognizing that my focus was down and digging into what had changed that was causing that and then readjusting.”
Boom!
Professionals in all fields take time to review their performance and examine what may be affecting it (especially performers and athletes). Sales professionals should do the same. Are you challenging yourself to dig deep and find out what is driving your outcomes?
This guy does have a point. We have been robbed of great names! What word do you think would be a great name if it had never been made into a word? (This sentence will make so much more sense after you click the link.)
This week I practiced being intentional in creating a virtuous teaching cycle. Often, I get so caught up in giving advice that I don’t take a moment to learn from those that have asked for my help. I think this happens to a lot to leaders.
As people shared information with me I would ask, “What led you to make that decision?” “What other alternatives did you consider?” “Where did you learn that?” etc. Depending on the person and the nature of our relationship, I would often preface my question with “curious, not confrontational,” or the even more direct, “I want to take an opportunity to learn from you, can I ask you a few questions?”
We have many opportunities to learn from others, yet we often bypass those chances. If you want to expand your perspective and accelerate your learning, try being intentional with those around you this week.
Potpourri (shoutout to Jeopardy!) is a category that covers a variety of topics.
When I was younger, I fell in love with Michael Winslow's talent for making noises and became weirdly obsessed with trying to copy random noises (author note: I sucked). Recently, I fell down a rabbit hole that led me to discovering THIS other talented noise (?) artist that has taken the entertainment to another level by adding awesome reactions from his friends. Enjoy, “bee bo beep, I am a robot!” See, I told you I sucked.
“A goal is a wish. A standard holds you accountable." Tunde Oyeneyin
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Let me know what you think about this week’s edition of Fuentes Fridays. Which section was your favorite? How can I make this better? Shoot me a message on LinkedIn @willfuentes.
Until next week!
Thanks,