When I was working as a sales executive for a healthcare software company, I had a colleague who would give his team some invaluable advice on how to win over clients and close more deals. He would tell them to “just show up.” Could it be that simple? Surprisingly, it can be. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who just don’t show up, don’t show they care, sign a deal and disappear, etc. Turns out, showing up is a winning strategy – for a successful career, for a successful life.
I have been thinking about this simple maxim for the last couple of weeks. Why? Two stories…
I was asked to be on a panel for the Michael J Fox Foundation’s PD IQ+You educational conference. Without thinking twice, I said yes and showed up in hopes my stories could help others in the audience. Over 1100 people attended the Phoenix event. I had a bad cold but was energized by the crowd and friends who attended. The panel topic was “if you knew then what you know now, what would you do differently?” Tough topic. The moderator asked me about my decision not to tell people or my employer about my disease. He asked about being an introvert yet attending support groups. Afterward, I had over 50 people stop me and thank me for sharing. They said they were inspired to join a support group and to start exercising. They wanted my contact details. It felt great to touch so many by just showing up. So many would have passed on the opportunity when it really didn’t take more than a decision to attend and share. Well, there was some angst over what to wear!
The next day I got on a plane to visit my mom in Florida. As with most mom’s, literally just showing up is all she wants from her adult children. Going to Florida isn’t a tough decision to make in January. However, I show up for her. She really appreciates our time together – even though this time I gave her a nasty cold. I wouldn’t miss it for the world either. I also get to visit with friends who spend the winter there as well. How often do you show up to visit your friends who don’t live near by? It’s a really important connection. It’s the extra effort to show up, be present, catch up, check in and listen that is important in successful relationships. I don’t use Facebook so I need to put in the face time (not FaceTime).
What is the key to success in business and life? It can be as simple as just showing up!
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