Purposeful. Not Calculated.

The most useful thing you can do is show up as yourself. Turns out people notice when you finally do.

I spent a few days in Chicago this week, and several people said some version of the same thing… " You seem different. More relaxed. More like yourself. Your positioning is clearer, but it doesn't feel like positioning.”

<hand on chest and a deep breath>

I’ve never been what you would call comfortable on social media. I’ve done well to show people I’m smart, capable, and that I have some presence, but I’ve never felt that I could totally be myself.

Social media feels like something you have to do, and while I still feel like I have a lot of molds to break out of, the way I've approached it recently feels more intuitive, a bit more relaxed. It's been purposeful, but not calculated. A result, not a goal. A relief when people you respect tell you they’ve noticed and they like it.

What I noticed on the other end of those conversations is something I wrote about after a rainy Tuesday morning run. Everybody is just figuring it out. I grew up thinking there were clear lanes, set paths, and right answers. Get out in the world long enough, and you realize that every SOP ever written was somebody's idea, not the idea. Not even the only way.

Once you accept that more than one thing can be true at the same time, you start to see possibilities. That wondering is where creativity lives. I believe it’s where real happiness lives, too.

I also got to reconnect with people who see me. Who get me. Who make me remember we're all in this together. That's not a soft observation. That's a competitive advantage. The blog this week is about exactly that.

This Week's Read

Somewhere in your network right now, there are people calling on the same customers you are. They're not competitors. They're potential partners. And most sellers never make that connection.

This week's blog is about the most overlooked channel in opportunity creation, and why you already know these people.

Read it →

Deeper Thought

Last week's prompt: What gives you energy?

Progress. Accomplishment. The feeling of making a move toward something important. Seeing the next level right in front of me… that's what keeps me going. The tank fills up when I can feel the momentum.

This week's prompt: Where do you feel most comfortable?

Take a walk. Think about it. Reply and tell me. I'll share mine next week.

What I'm Into

I got out for a round of golf Friday afternoon. Kept the ball in front of me, gave myself scoring opportunities, and walked off encouraged. That's the whole game some days.

I'm excited to present some assessment results to a client next week. A couple more are in discussion, and I'm working on updating the website to better highlight my workshop offerings.

Progress on multiple fronts. See above re: what gives me energy.

My podcast with Matt Ferguson is available on all platforms, and Project Hail Mary was really fun.

The Shoutout

You need people in your network who ferociously support you. Who go to the wall for you. Who speak fondly of you in rooms you're not in, bird-dog opportunities, and keep you in their thoughts when things aren't going well.

Jacquelyn Nicholson is one of those people for me.

Her passion for what she does and the people she supports is real and palpable, and the comments section affirmed that! There's a mama bear energy there that you didn't realize you still need as an adult who's supposedly got their stuff figured out. Spoiler: we're all still figuring it out.

When you leave a call with Jacquelyn, you stand a little taller and feel a little lighter.

If you don't have a Jacquelyn in your life, get one. And if you do, who is it? Hit reply. I want to hear about them.

The Nudge

The conversations coming out of these assessments have been some of the most energizing work I've done in years. A National Sales Director had all of her regional leaders take it, and there is a very clear correlation between scores and quota attainment.

If you lead a team and you've been curious about what "what good looks like here" might mean for your organization, I'd love to have that conversation.

Let's talk →

Cheers,
JB

P.S. The most important channel in your pipeline might already be in your contacts. When did you last reach out to someone who sells to your customers but doesn't compete with you?