CareerSherpas: Climbing the Mountain

A common saying in productivity and success writing circles is “Just show up”. This wonderfully uplifting concept presses the point that by arriving, engaging and being where an action happens, the action will happen.

There is plenty of support for this assertion, but sometimes we need to grapple with the idea that someone else might also need to show up for something to happen. So what then?

The answer for me is an easy one: Follow up!

Any time you make a connection with someone you need to follow up. This simple act strengthens your connection, reinforcing that the meeting (and the other person’s time) was valuable to you. Whether it be thanking the person for their time, giving promised information or sharing a thought that occurred to you after you left, your consideration shows that you’re still engaged and ready to reconnect or work together whatever the future holds.

Similarly if you have a missed connection where the other person did not show up, it is important to reinforce that the meeting was important to you and that you value their time. If a meeting happened without someone, following up gives you a chance to re-engage the person and build a rapport. You can also share teasers to build up expectations for the next opportunity to meet. If you were going to be presenting information or offerings it’s easy to send the bulleted high points covered and either the information on the next presentation or the option of asking questions.

The art of the follow up takes a bit of getting used to to make it a natural step, but it’s worth the effort and lets you make a case or build a stronger relationship.

So get out there! Show up – and follow up!

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, conducting high-level business analysis, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

“There are two types of people–those who come into a room and say, ‘Well, here I am!’ and those who come in and say, ‘Ah, there you are.’” – Frederick L. Collins

After staring at this quote for two days, I realized that this is an attitude that we’re all called to share in order to be successful.

Think about it. If you are going to be successful personally, where do you need to focus? Is it a worthwhile exercise to push yourself forward or does it make more sense to see the other person’s needs as more important than your ego?

Any negotiation breaks down when either participant forgets to look at what the other side really wants. Any service offering fails when it doesn’t meet the needs of a client or market. And for someone interested in their career? Recognise that your success is all about making someone else look good or showing that you can provide what they need.

Focus on someone else today and see what happens!

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, conducting high-level business analysis, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

Maybe I’m getting a little late start on the season, but to celebrate I’m launching a new and improved look for CareerSherpas.com and getting ready to start the year with a fresh perspective. Sure the economy is still grim right now, but in the season of hope we can all look at next year and plan for the recovery that comes after downturns.

New opportunities and possibilities will open up and many people will have the chance to grow further or even change directions to pursue what makes them truly happy. Even if you’re on a downward swing now, look for where you want to be, plan for it and set your plans in motion!

Have a restful and safe holiday, and I’ll be back next week with ideas for New Year’s Career Resolutions!

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, conducting high-level business analysis, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

Once again I’ve stumbled across a book I need to get through on my reading list, this time courtesy of an article at CIOZone.com. The book in question is “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell which clearly offers some great food for thought on what elements lead to success in the real world.

It’s always hard to pass up a book by someone with Gladwell’s credentials as the author of “The Tipping Point” and “Blink”, however more fundamental is the message that success is a measure defined by the sum of all of our advantages. In my experience it’s very clear that where individuals are successful a number of factors all come together to build both the foundation of and open the opportunities for that success.

While Gladwell sites a number of individuals who were poised to take advantage of the computer revolution, twenty years later it’s clear that the internet revolution produced a large number of similar success stories such as Pierre Omidyar with eBay and Jeff Bezos with Amazon. If one looks at the ages and stages at which these individuals appeared, it certainly adds further credence to Gladwell’s theory.

Perhaps more important for me are the points eloquently gleaned from the book by Ellen Pearlman of CIOZone. Not least among these are the point that the benefits of IQ scores are limited after the 120 mark and that being successful involves having assistance. The trouble that we all have in recognizing that the advantages we are given and the success we achieve are not necessarily bound up in what we do for ourselves has always intrigued me, but to have it spelled out in such a stark manner is a little disconcerting.

The questions I’m left to ponder after starting the book however are a fair bit more personal. What advantages have I received which can be applied now or which I can see applications coming? What advantages can I offer my children as they develop their own wonderful collection of skills?

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, conducting high-level business analysis, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.

I’ve recently finished Alex “Sandy” Pentland’s Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World, which I found quite difficult to put down once I got into it. Pentland puts his considerable wealth of research into a very consumable and revealing manner. His framework for judging future performance is a very clear and in some ways surprising viewpoint on common problems like groupthink.

Having finished it, I was struck by the comparison with “The Definitive Book of Body Language” by Alan Pease and how much of Pentland’s work supports many of the points Pease has been making for more than three decades. Certainly I have a soft spot for my countryman’s work, but my sense has always been that Pease provides practical tools and understanding on how to interact with people that are lacking elsewhere.

Where Pentland provides a frame of reference for the problems and opportunities available in measuring and understanding body language, Pease gives a practical, step-by-step approach to using body language. Both works have a great deal going for them, but if I were to choose one as the more approachable and immediately useful, I have to recommend “Body Language”.

Want to know how to connect, communicate with and influence someone say in an interview? You’ll learn a thing or two from “Body Language”.

Peter Fitzgerald is the founder of CareerSherpas.com and is currently working on his first book, conducting high-level business analysis, connecting individuals with ideas and opportunities, and attempting to learn the bagpipes.