More things and stuff I've learned...

I made a commitment to myself to capture more lessons learned and share them, and I've been pretty bad at it so far. Here are a few more things I've learned in the last few years for what it's worth.

1) Every mistake is an opportunity.

As a former employee of two organizations that are customer-centric and customer satisfaction focused (1-800 Contacts and Zappos), I learned quickly that the value of service is hard to measure until a mistake is made. When an issue occurs -- that's when consumer-centric companies shine and build true consumer loyalty. As a customer, if my contact lenses tear and you send me free contacts without question then I really understand your value to me, and my value to you.

This applies everywhere in your business (and I would argue personal life). A mistake you make with a client, co-worker, or direct report is an opportunity to showcase the value you bring to them, and how much you value them. It's your chance to show you care and build trust.

2) Have strong opinions, but loosely held.

I spend a lot of time processing issues, and mentally churning through problems that need to be solved. I will reach some version of a conclusion to a problem after enough processing -- which often includes conversations, debate, and then more mental processing. The decisions made this way have a history of working out. The problem is I tend to leave people behind in that process by not including them. I then find myself getting frustrated when others share strong opinions without spending the same amount of time and energy that I've invested in my conclusion. There are bad habits in here that I'm working on, but I've learned something as I've worked on this...

If you are going to hold a strong opinion, make sure that opinion is built on research and/or experiences. Sharing a strong opinion without a basis of experience and research makes you dangerous to the teams you serve. If you don't have the experience, then really pursue the data and information that will allow you to establish a strong opinion. However, sharing strong opinions or expressing expertise is not a closed-minded practice. Be open-minded to other opinions, allowing room for yourself to be wrong because we are likely all wrong about something we strongly believe is true, right now.

3) Sales is hard, it's everything, and it's not a bad thing

I spent a long time telling people I'm not a sales person, even though I am one. For some reason, I didn't want to be associated with sales for all the generic or stereotypical reasons why most people don't like sales or sales people.

When Chris Coy, Aye Thu, and I started Teamvvork, I had to pretend to be a sales person -- but I would insist I was bad at it. When I sold our services, it was because I authentically believed in our capabilities not because I was good at sales. Then as I would grind to figure out how to sell and I'd start to discover patterns and processes that produced more sales, and I would tell myself this was just a way to sell without being a sales person. It wasn't until sitting at a lunch with Chris Coy recently, listening to him sharing experiences, stories, and perspective with a client that I realized he was a sales person -- that we were sales people and it's not lame. These things we've done, and continue to do is sales. Even in a non-sales position it is what we are and do and it's not slimy or bad. We believe in our teams and the services we provide, and telling that story and finding new ways to deliver value to clients is sales and it is good.