After a robust month of travel, I found myself fighting off a cold. My head was sluggish and I didn’t have my normal energy.
I wasn’t at my best.
So, I fought off the desire to push myself harder, ate a bowl of soup and tried to rest.
Why did I just tell you that story?
Because, no matter how conscientious we are, there are times when we need to table certain items on our or our client’s agendas. Maybe we’re full of nervous energy after a market shift and want to change course. Maybe we’re excited about an upcoming event and are distracted from the task at hand. Maybe we’re ready to move forward on a well-laid plan…
Questions we can ask ourselves
1.) How well do I understand my motivations?
Am I pushing forward an action or decision just to get it done? Am I putting undue pressure on myself and others to meet an artificial deadline? Is what I am doing really time-sensitive?
2.) How important is the outcome?
Do I need my best energy to make the task happen or is a reasonable effort good enough? I like to use my father’s words of wisdom (he is an Emergency Room Doctor)…
“Is someone’s life on the line?”
3.) How confident am I in my ability to deliver?
Now that I know my motivations and I know what type of results are needed, I can assess how ready I am to deliver those results. Do I have the capacity, skill, and energy? Is this a task I can do well now or do better after a brief break?
We can check in on our clients the same way we check in on ourselves.
We can also ask them:
1.) What time of day is best for them?
2.) Are they morning people or better engaged later in the afternoon?
Once we understand when our clients are at their best, we can arrange meetings so that we tap into our client’s best energy to get the job done.