I had a discussion this week with a group of business leaders that were all trying to get a better idea of when to follow-up with potential customers. We all know the fine line between persistence and becoming a pain in the assets. My suggestion about this has more to do with finding out what feels right by trusting your intuition.

Are you empathetic to the mood of your prospect? Do you respect his time and what may be going on in his life? Are you even calling on the right guy at the organization and is that organization a good fit for your product or service? When and how often should you call, text or email? How do you penetrate the clutter? In this article I want to focus on the clutter. We all experience it in our daily lives, and it causes us to have too much stress and angst.

I use the word “clutter” as synonymous with “noise”. What is it that distracts you when you are trying to concentrate? The chatter in your mind is constant and in an age of social media and multitasking, trying to focus on the higher priority when you have a world of distraction coming at you can be difficult. You may need to write that report, but you may find that your mind jumps when a text arrives on your phone, or your email alert is pinging you to demand your attention.

It has taken many years for me to fully appreciate the value of silence in my life. When I work at my desk, I prefer there be no sounds or noises to distract me as I have an easy distraction trigger. That is the way many from my generation prefer it. We grew up coveting the “private office” as the haven to aspire to in life. In my generation, if you worked in an office, you made it.

Today’s up and comers are different. My kids need music to concentrate. My daughter is an 80’s fan while my son prefers an eclectic mix of rock and heavy metal. Where do you need to be to be at your optimum level and how do you know if you have found it? For some it might take a quiet meditation to calm the mind. A lumberjack might find he is able to concentrate best with a chainsaw humming. Loud or soft, you need to find the sweet spot. Athletes call it “being in the zone”. Scientists will refer to it as “flow”. To perform at peak level we need to be in the right place, physically and mentally. To get there, some prefer daily prayer or meditation, others prefer to take a walk in the woods or just around block. Some prefer a three-minute holiday when they feel stress, taking deep breathes and taking their minds away. How can you find your sweet spot? Let your body tell you. You will know it when it feels right.

In my personal life, I turn off my cell phone on Friday night and I don’t turn it back on until Monday morning. No email, no social media. In my view, there is nothing so important in my life that won’t wait until Monday morning. Personal downtime to recharge is important for everyone.

Readers of this newsletter will note a trend. Many millennials in 2022 have found that working from home has put them in a much better place than working in a crowded cubicle or open bench-style worktable. For these and other reasons, coaxing employees to return to the office has been an excruciatingly slow and frustrating process for the CEO.

Where is all this leading us to. Hopefully, to a better place.

Regards,
Lawrence Dickstein