Some thoughts:
From Seth Godin:
When the people we serve present themselves, when they offer us their attention and their trust, we need to work to see two things:
- Who they are. What do they fear, what do they believe, what do they need?
- Who they can become. Which doors can we open, how can we support them, what will they leave behind?
and…
But if people aren’t choosing you, talking about you, asking you for more… it’s either because you picked the wrong axis, or because you’re not better enough. …
Better’s not up to us. It’s up to those we seek to serve.
Tom Albrighton has thoughts on becoming better enough:
Professional life is like this. You borrow some knowledge from here and there, but mostly just keep going along, doing what you do.
Then, before you know it, people start asking you for advice. To you, your answers seem obvious and banal. But people seem to like them. (Your younger self would have liked them.)
You have become the expert. Or, perhaps, the expert has become you.
or …
Instead of presenting ourselves as infallible oracles, maybe we should admit that there’s no certainty to what we do; no one right answer. We contend with luck and failure just like our clients. But we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and work hard nonetheless.
Maybe, it’s down to hard work and focus. Execupundit offers:
The don’ts followed today may be more productive than the do’s.
and…
“Urgent and Important” tasks? Easy choice. Those get tackled first…