In my book, Inspired Selling, I discuss how part of the skill of selling is art. Selling is surely part art. But what about other vocational or personal considerations? Does art, as in dictionary definitions ‘skilled acquired by experience, study, or observation’, or ‘an occupation requiring knowledge or skill’ fit? Yes, it does. The art of making friends is an important part of life. And the art of being able to build something, such as a piano carries great importance. Consider the art of leadership for a moment. Leadership is not all art, but the skill of art is a critical component.
There are several fundamentals to the ‘art of living.’ The first I will discuss is preparation. I have heard it said, ‘You can never be too prepared.’ We used to have a motto on a team I led, ‘Be 2.5x prepared.’ That meant several things, but it mostly meant being very prepared in every situation and never to ‘wing it’ as some would do in consideration of the term ‘art of selling’ or the ‘art of a job interview.’ Winging it can be both dangerous and severely detrimental.
If in a business meeting, preparation includes conducting research, finding out several useful facts, opinions, needs, and desires that the other person has. It also means learning about the people involved and what roles they play, i.e. coaches, gatekeepers, decision-makers, influencers and so on. In leadership, much of the same applies. Understanding people and circumstances are important in every aspect of life. If you need to hire a plumber, hopefully, you check them out prior to hiring them. Besides information about them on the internet, you may check references and even interview them. Preparing prior to making decisions or taking actions is always a good idea.
I call all of this, ‘getting to the truth.’ Knowing the truth helps you know how to help others be successful. It is that simple. If after getting that information I don’t believe I can add value to them, I will tell them. Long term, I prefer not to get an order or help a friend with something if I can’t really help them.
Persistence is a word to which some attach a negative connotation. But what if persistent value became the term? Does that have a different ring? It does! What that means is always have value to add when being persistent and that should stem from being confident you have value to offer. When I was young, I was afraid to ask questions so as not to seem uneducated about a topic. Now I ask and ask and ask. What I have learned is that most appreciate my interest and will teach me what I need to learn. Communicating that effectively and yes, sometimes persistently is not negative. So, make sure you are confident and then take that initiative. That will help you develop a mindset and heart set focused on helping others be more successful.
You should never be persistent without being professional or respectful! Professionalism includes not only domain expertise but also being punctual (that is respectful), a good communicator and someone who has the courage to be bold or conversely to walk away when the situation calls for it. If you are always in fight mode and must win every battle perhaps there is an issue with security you need to address. Managers who do that are not strong leaders. Parents who do that could improve their parenting. Friends who do that need to reassess the friendship.
Being a top professional takes continuous personal development and intentionality. Human nature is to relax and not continue improving. It can be hard work. But if you make things happen in your life to improve, put more intention into how you spend your time, turn your back on excuses, do the training you need, celebrate wins but not for long, hang around with other winners and stay healthy and fit mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually you will be well above average professionally. In addition to that skill, you will also be good at the ‘art of life.’