Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms

As a business owner of a start-up, I am more motivated than ever to ramp, scale and grow my business.  I strive to be successful through my customers.

I have more than one vision for my company, and I think that is what motivates and drives me.

Throughout my career I have often had people ask me a few common questions so I thought I would take a little time to share my responses here so that others may use this information for their own growth.

What inspires me and where does my passion come from?  This is a question that I get asked a lot from colleagues, peers, and even business owners and executives.

Well, while there isn’t a simple answer I do have some things that I can share that may help others continue to maintain their motivation as they move forward.

1 – Inspiration – Recently I watched a series on TV called “The Men who Built America.”  It is an insightful look at the  industrial revolution and the trust companies (monopolies) that grew and thrived in the presence of incredible opportunities.  While the story has an underbelly of “breaking the backs of Americans” (not what I condone) – it also tells a story about how a few men built the infrastructure of what still touches a lot of our lives today.

So how did I frame my inspiration into words by watching this series – and why was it inspirational?

A – Carpe Diem – if you see an opportunity – GO. Don’t wait.  I learned the 5 troop leading procedures as an officer in the military and I still apply them today (look them up) but I do a mental risk assessment: what if, what if not, who is in the market, what do they do, what is missing, how can I be “DIFFERENT?”  Think, Act, Do.  I love Rockefeller’s approach to kerosene.  Everyone made it – his product was the same – but he “marketed” it differently and created an empire.  He didn’t wait for someone else to do it first.

B – Flexibility –  Be flexible and adaptable – and change with or before the market.  I love being in front of customers…why?  You see their needs (macro) before the market does.  When the analysts are talking about something, the problem has already been solved. Rockefeller created the first oil pipelines and nearly bankrupted Commodore Vanderbilt by being FLEXIBLE – and changed the face of both the oil and rail industries forever.  Ford later created a whole new market that leveraged one and competed with the other.  CHANGE.

C – Differentiation – I talked about this above in Rockefeller’s example – but it is so imperative that you drive / derive value through your customers differently than everyone else.  ME TOO – is me too little or me too late.  Many times in my career I was asked to help quote a solution that was put together by someone else…and my immediate answer was always “NO!!!”  Why would I stoop to “ME TOO?” (me too late).  I stood a better chance of winning by engaging – ripping apart (where possible) the other solution – and using my business experience to change (and solve) to better align with the LONG term goals of the organization AND win the deal.  Rockefeller was a chemist at heart and refined kerosene out of crude oil.  While everyone fought for drilling oil out of the ground, he focused on delivering “Standard Oil” kerosene to every household – and he became one of the richest men in America by doing this “different” thing.

2 – Passion – Where does my passion come from?

A – Childhood – I think where we come from and what we’ve experienced in life fuels the fire.  I know what it is to have absolutely nothing – and when I think about it, I never ever want to go back there – so a real fire burns inside. Contrast this with Dale Carnegie.  He started in the mail room and as an impoverished errand boy for Vanderbilt and he grew into one of the richest men in America.  Embrace who you are – and whatever fuels your passion.

B – The desire to succeed – Fear of failure (people ask)? I say – “no”  Fail to what?  No matter what, I won’t fail to a level of where I came from – so it isn’t a fear of failure – or I wouldn’t try anything.  Too many people get stuck in a position because of a fear of failure – to the contrary – I would say it is an overwhelming desire for “SUCCESS.”  J.P. Morgan risked it all on Thomas Edison – who was so transfixed on his blind passion around DC power – that he dismissed the young brilliant Tesla who worked for him – and was willing to GIVE HIM AC Power.  In the end, Tesla gave away all of his patents to Westinghouse to see his vision through.  JP Morgan’s ability to seize the day created a new company called “General Electric” that we all still know to this day.

C –  The overwhelming desire to learn – I truly enjoy learning new things.  If you look at my life and you will see “Frank the fiddling fireman.”  Someone once called me that at a young age because I seemed to have so many interests – that they said I would never accomplish anything if I didn’t focus.  WOW – if you let people hold you back, I promise they will.  What have I accomplished? Hmm…

– US Army Paratrooper – with many accomplishments
– US Army Aviator – Instructor Pilot – Standardization Instructor Pilot
– US Army officer (and scholarship recipient)
– Race car driver
– Motocross racer
– Musician/songwriter (closet
– Scuba diver
– Military ski instructor
– Multi-lingual
– Successful technologist
– Successful salesperson
– Marathon runner
– Father of three wonderful children
– and a LOT more…

I don’t mean these as a narcissistic brag – I post them so that you can see the diversity of the accomplishments.  Some people would take any one of these their lifelong dream or accomplishment.  I just looked at them all as a “bucket list”  and learning experiences.

In my professional career today – I still have that overwhelming desire to learn and grow…
– What are the needs of the market (customers?)
– Who are the competitors – how many?
– What do they do and why?
– Where are the gaps?
– How can I be different?
– What is the payoff versus the investment?

VISION – Self-vision to be more exact.  I have a “vision” that is the core of who I am.  I have my belief system and my values that drive me – and when I waver from them is when I fail myself and other people.  That’s just some personal insight…

But at the core of my “self-vision” I always come back to one word…. “DIFFERENT”

I don’t “dare to be different” for the sake of being different.  I have always looked at the ways I was taught to do something – the way other people did stuff – the way things “have always been done” and I looked for ways to do them differently for me and the people around me.

We are ALL unique – but at what level?  Create your own uniqueness – and make it your own – that is some of the best advice I can give anyone looking to grow.

As I continue forward on this journey of building out “Call To Action” – know that I won’t settle for being a  “me too…”

If you are an entrepreneur, a salesperson, or someone just starting your career and you read this – and it gives you a little direction or insight – then I did my job in writing this.

Interviewing can be tricky.  We all want to make a good impression and, if it is truly a job that we desire, we may only get one shot when we walk into the room, so we need to make it count.

There are several steps that you can take to increase your chances for a position; you just have to have the discipline to follow through on a few basic items.  I am amazed at how many people I have interviewed in my tenure that just flat out miss the mark when competing for a position.

Never forget that you are one of many candidates potentially going after a position, so if you really want it, take the steps required to ensure you leave a favorable impression and you walk out of the room leaving them with a the feeling that “you” are the one they must hire for this position.

3 tips for success –

1 – Prepare for success – I am amazed at how many people don’t prepare adequately for their interviews.  I’m not talking about how they dress, if they shaved, etc. – I mean REALLY spent some time preparing.  In the age of Social Media, it takes 5 minutes to look up the people you are going to be interviewing with on the various sites that are out there.  Start with LinkedIn, move to Twitter, and finish on Facebook.  Google them – read their bio – try to figure out what makes them tick.  You might find a common interest that you share to make a personal connection when you are in the room and, professionally, people will respect the fact that you did your homework.  Find the job posting (if it’s out there, if not, ask for it from the person scheduling the interview) and READ IT.  A lot of times the job posting can answer any questions you may have about the position and is a great way to “prepare”.

2 – Put together a personal prospectus and have a plan – YES – you really should create a leave behind document, and this isn’t your resume.  Build a prospectus.  Be smart and tactical on how you use it.  Don’t pull it out and dive right into it, wait it until they are DONE with their process and, chances are, they will have a process.  When you sit down, lay it on the table where they can see it.  It will probably prompt them to ask, “What is that…?” and you can say, “This is something we can go through after you’re down with your process.” The people who are interviewing you are also interviewing SEVERAL other candidates.  WHY should they pick you out of the many other candidates they interviewed? Did you stand out?  Did you seem to have your S#!T together, or were you JANC? (Think about it.) If you want to stand out, build a PowerPoint – print it out – bind it – and use it in your interview!

                     Things to include:

• Why (their company)? – Tell them what you love about their company.
• Why this position? – Why is this position so attractive to you? What inspires you about it – motivates you about it?
• Why YOU? – Yes, you first made it about them – now contrast why you are the perfect fit for the company and position.
• How would you be successful? – Lay out a 30 – 60 – 90 day timeline – and a 1 year plan.  Show them you’re the one.

3 – Tactically Ask for the job – This is where I see several candidates fail.  They don’t ask for the position they so badly want, or they don’t effectively know how to ask for the position.   So I will give you the dialogue that I think works and I will frame it with some talking points.

Things to consider:

• Have a “Closing Process” – Move into the interview wrap-up.  Ensure they are done – you should sense it – and then have (and practice) your close.
• Frame them – Start with, “Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet with me, I am incredibly impressed with the company and I am really excited about being a candidate for the position…”
• Relate – “I know it has to be difficult to interview so many candidates.”
• Empathize – “And I know it has probably takes you away from a ton of important stuff that you’re trying to accomplish.”
• Position – “I have to be candid – this is a position I really see myself doing.  I could see both of us being successful….”
• OBJECTIONS – (this is the most important part) – “So, since I am really interested in this position, I have to ask (Mrs./Mr. Interviewer) what would keep you from hiring me for this position?” — Don’t let them pick up on the fact that your notebook is still out (yes – you should have thought to bring a notebook to capture what is really important to them about this position). They are potentially about to tell you where your gaps are for this position – LISTEN CAREFULLY and TAKE NOTES.  You MAY not get this position, but you will learn how to better prepare for future interviews AND what you might need to do to become a viable candidate.
• WHAT WAS SAID? – Listen to the objections (yes, there are objections that can turn into REJECTIONS) – and ask yourself, is there a real gap or a perceived gap?  If there is a lack of experience that you may not have communicated effectively, than “tactfully” address the “objection.”  For example, “Oh, that is a great point, I would probably feel the same way looking at a candidate if they lacked the proper experience.  I may not have pointed out that I …”. Fill in the relevant gap here – where you got the experience, how it directly correlates to the experience they are looking for, and how you were successful using that experience.  IF you don’t have the experience, you may not be qualified for this position, so another great tactic would be to ask, “You have a lot of experience in this field, do you have suggestions on how I could get the appropriate experience you require?  What can I do to make myself a better candidate for you and your company?”
• Balance – Don’t be pushy, be engaging.  If you truly have the skills, and the right “make-up” for the position (attitude, aptitude) then let them shine as you seek to understand where you have gaps.
• CLOSING – I have had (on a couple of occasions) people say to me, “There is nothing that would keep me from hiring you for this position…” and I have jokingly (with a smile) replied, “Great, then now we just have to figure out my true value to the organization so we can both get back to being productive…”

These are my words – and thoughts.  Several people will have many different opinions and experiences and I hope that they share them as well so that others can be successful in pursing their dreams.

Always remember, there are never failures, only new opportunities to learn and improve.