I have a question for you: What are you doing in business right now and why?
Imagine if you asked yourself this question before doing anything. Sure, with some things like brushing your teeth, bathing, and eating, you don’t need to explore these decisions.
What about your business activities?
There is a thin line between a groove and a rut. Major changes are often unnecessary, and sometimes small changes can help us regain our rhythm. You may find that you hit your groove again when you re-examine your “why,” also known as your ECC (Emotionally Charged Connection.)
What we care about is why you put your feet on the floor this morning and decided to stand up and go to work. There can be so many reasons, and only you know what they are.
But does the rest of the world? Would you step over a winning lottery ticket if you knew it was more than a piece of paper? Would I walk past you if I knew not only what you do, but also why you do it?
People don’t care much about what we do for a living or how we operate until they know what drives us. Most of the professional people we meet talk to us only about what they do, and yet they rarely explain why.
Five Reasons Your WHY Should Come First
- Believability
Scepticism is at an all-time high. Think about all the different channels of communication now available for us to broadcast our message, not to mention the vast number of people and businesses vying for attention. Among TV, our phones, social media, and radio, it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin. It is only natural to defend ourselves from the onslaught. Automatically, people are not to be believed – that is, until they give us a compelling reason to do so.
- Likeability
I heard this at a networking conference, “Sell yourself, not your stuff.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a “commodity” as a “mass-produced unspecialized product.” Ouch! Do other people sell what you sell? If the answer is yes, you had better get some likeability. If products and price are relatively equal, people will always choose to buy from someone they genuinely like.
- Authenticity
When and how have you failed? While it is true that no one wants to look bad, if you look perfect, that can be even worse. Weave stories about your failures and imperfections into your conversations with others. If you can show some humility early in the relationship, you will shorten the trust timeline. It is okay to share with people that you have made mistakes, especially if you then tell how you fixed them.
- Connectivity
What do we have in common? I was once in a training session and learned that the other people in the class enjoyed photography, cycling, cooking, nature, and running. Bonding and rapport can develop when you share the same hobbies with someone else or when you are interested in learning more about something they do.
- Referability
An electrician shared the dramatic story about his career choice. He said, “When I was eleven years old, my family rushed out of our home in the middle of the night due to an electrical fire in the basement. While everyone made it out all right, we lost everything – the house and all of our earthly possessions. I knew then that I never wanted this to happen to anyone else, so that’s why I became an electrician.” If your story is not this dramatic, that’s okay. However, we still want to know the reason why you do what you do.
Your “Why” is the most important thing you can figure out for yourself. It is the reason you do the things you are passionate about. If you don’t know that, you can never come full circle to completely fulfill your dreams.
It makes no difference how you communicate your message, whether it is television, radio, print advertising, billboards, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, keynote presentations, or face-to-face meetings.
Until we know your Why, it doesn’t matter what you do. Share your Why with your network.
