Speak to people these days and the same personal stories emerge… winter is here, lockdown is back, not sleeping very well, can’t see friends, can’t see family, Brexit looming, and so on.
As I write this, it’s windy, it’s rainy, it’s dark!
Frankly, for many of us, it really does feel like the perfect storm of ‘stuff’. In 2020, however we got here, the nation’s overall mood appears to have dipped…a lot. Even some of the brightest most pollyannaish folks are struggling.
What to do to break this cycle of doomsterism and gloomsterism? (yes Boris it hasn’t quite gone to plan yet has it?)
Is it Hopeless?
No. There is one tactic I use that usually works. It works when I’m faced with day to day micro-challenges. It helps with those seemingly insurmountable difficulties too.
Not so much a tactic, but a question. A question I ask myself. A question that everyone can ask themselves. And, usefully, if you lead a team, each going through their own stuff, you can ask them too.
So, the next time you’re hit with something you wish you hadn’t been hit with, big or small, or your thoughts are constantly wandering towards all the bad stuff, ask yourself this question…
“If all that is true, what are you going to do about it?”
What?
I know what you’re thinking… “All that for that?” “Is that it?”
So how come it works? (it does)
Like this…you can only think of one thing at once, so, when asking yourself that question, it becomes the dominant thought in your mind. Your mind is therefore already changing its direction of travel. Away from the negativity, the gloom, the doom. It’s now pointing somewhere a little more positive.
Let me say right now that no one is denying that these problems exist, of course they definitely do. And it doesn’t mean you’re just blanking the issues out of your mind, shoving them to one side.
It just means that, by asking that one simple innocent question, you are directing your mind away from thinking about all that negative stuff, and towards possible courses of action you could take to counter those circumstances.
This in turns starts the journey of making you feel more empowered. You can’t change the things that are going on, but you can come up with a plan…and a variety of options.
Now, your ‘what could I do’ list can vary in ambition, depending on the size of your challenge – and your imagination. All I would suggest is that you move to somewhere quiet and private, give yourself a little time – and be as imaginative and creative as you can be with your ideas and options for what you could do.
Believe me, for every issue there will be a plethora of actions you could take. Some may be colossal choices, but choices all the same. Others may be quick five minute wins.
Back to the point. By now, by expanding on that question, searching for responses, courses of action, your mind will be operating in a totally different – and way more productive way.
How about your team?
Asking this question works a treat when you’re coaching your sales team. If they’re like many, this period is a real test of their character, resilience and positivity. But they can change their outlook from one of pessimism to one of empowerment. You and they can get their mindset facing in another direction. That question “If all that is true, what are you going to do about it?” can be the trigger that sends their mind to look in the opposite direction.
It creates solution focussed thinking and guess what, when this happens, more viable, reachable solutions come into focus!
Until next time,
Leigh 😊
PS If you want to explore other ways of keeping your sales team inspired and motivated then get in touch for a discovery chat!
Thanks Jon Tyson for the great image!
