What If You Asked Better Questions

For most of us, that first real job or even a new job is both exhilarating and terrifying. It’s exhilarating to finally hear someone tell you, “You’re hired.”  And, if you’re like most people, before you even start the job you’ll be plotting to buy a few things you think you’ll need or you’ve always wanted. If you’re ambitious, your head may fill with ideas about how to change things.  

Before you blurt out that great idea at work, take a walk around the block. There are always hidden agendas and office politics in every workplace. You can’t know whether your wonderful idea might have been suggested in the past, and was rejected as ridiculous by your boss. Focus on what you can learn instead of showing what you think you know. The accomplishments and attaboys will naturally follow.

A new job can be terrifying, especially if this is your first real job because, if your brain is still back at college, you may feel like it’s a test, one you desperately need to pass to avoid becoming a dismal failure in life. You want to keep from making a fool of yourself, or have to tell your family you got laid off or fired.

What if vs. How Can I
Many people we work with start out anxious. They want to know, “What if I run out of leads? What if I can’t sell anything?” I’m sure they’re also thinking, What if they don’t like me? What if, what if, what if….

What if questions, show a tremendous amount of doubt and uncertainty. Probably not the impression you are after. Your new boss is probably thinking, “How could you sit through our proven sales training and not sell anything, especially with products like these? We’ve been doing this for decades. We have millions of satisfied customers." They realize that if you just keep learning and trying, the odds eventually will work out. 

Your thinking brain knows your first real job will be just one of many stops along the path of your career. You are there really to learn as quickly as you can. Your feeling brain is in a hurry to get wherever it is you think your career will take you. When you feel anxious or frustrated, instead of worrying about what might go wrong, ask yourself what you can do to raise your chances of success. Instead of asking your new boss, “What if” questions, try “How can I...”

“How can I raise my average number of leads?”

“How can I increase my sales per customer?”

“How can I come across as more confident on the phone?”

Good managers love these questions. They give us a chance to lead, teach, and mentor with measurable results. 

Remember that you were hired because of certain positive qualities you showed during the interview process. You may have come across as smarter, more articulate, enthusiastic, self-directed, and so on. What were those qualities? If you aren’t sure, ask other people what they think and then build on what you learn.

Taking a mental break and in the mood for another great blog from author John Wasserman? Check out 6 Awesome Reasons to Choose a Career in Sales or Leading the Habitually Unpunctual. A new blog is posted every week. 

Oh...and check out my book No Shorts, Flip Flops, or Sunglasses: How to Get and Make the Most of Your First Real Job - proceeds go to a great charity, Children's Dyslexia Centers, Inc. Thanks! You Rock!!