I know, I know…really do I think things should go as planned…yes, in my perfect world they do. Listen, I am a planner. Someone who when they have a client meeting creates a unique agenda based off the objectives of the meeting and the client’s goals. I pride myself on being prepared, yes I was a Girl Scout. But as you are all well aware, it doesn’t always go as planned, so what do you do then?
When things don’t go as planned, I throw my agenda out the window and truly listen to the client in front of me. What are their concerns? What is going wrong? What is going right? My job is to serve my clients and that is exactly what I listen for, how can I serve them the best in this moment?
Was this easy at first? NO! Like I said, I am a planner, but as I have grown and developed as a businesswoman, I have realized that by being more flexible and listening on a deeper level, I am able to create a bigger impact for my client and myself.
Just this week I was with a client in a Quarterly Meeting. I had an agenda, but could hear by how the executives were talking that moving my agenda and going right towards issue solving instead of my planned script was going to give me the best results. By switching gears to move with their energy, we ended up having the most productive Business Strategy Session so far.
In the end, I have learned it is not about me, but my client.
So the next time you find yourself in a situation where your client, boss or employee is not receptive to your agenda, take a minute and listen. How can you best serve them in this moment? Then do that.
