Mike is ‘in sales’. He takes care to dress well, to tone down his tie and give a firm handshake. He begins every conversation with a prospective client by first introducing himself and then sharing his perspective about why he’s there. It’s no surprise that Mike is met with hundreds of rejections each year from people who don’t immediately understand the value he creates for them.

A better place for Mike to start is by asking two questions:
Tell me what do you do now. What do you want to do?

Our work becomes valuable when it is valued, and people can’t value something they don’t understand. It turns out that the best way to be understood is first to understand.

Image by Thomas Hawk.