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What Are You Looking For?

9 March 2020

As U2 sang, back in the 1980’s …”I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…” (check out their Joshua Tree album, it’s very good).

I hope Bono, the leader singer (if you don’t know the band) has found it now.

Maybe he was referring to his TV remote control? Mine keeps growing legs and walking off, or throwing itself down the back of the sofa.

It’s the same with reading glasses, when you get to a certain age. They just teleport into another dimension for a bit and then you find them either:

1. On the coffee table, where you had left them.

2. On top of your head, hiding in your hair.

3. On your nose.

You might think it’s difficult to lose a pair of glasses that you’re actually wearing, but not so. Mine have clear rims and so when clean they have no colour. You get used to looking through smudged lenses and so clean ones can be invisible.

Like Bono, we are all looking for things. Companionship, money to pay the bills, happiness and in the case of Arthur Dent (see the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) a decent cup of tea.

In business I meet people who are looking for ‘customers.’ When I ask them what this means precisely they can’t articulate it. Talking in general terms is a waste of energy because customers could mean anybody and everybody. If a bus drives past and we look into it, are all the people on board our potential customers? I doubt it. We know this instinctively.

If we go to a networking event are we going to sell to 100% of the attendees? Doubtful. That would be an ambitious target.

So, we need to really think about what we are looking for. Maybe we need customers who will pay on time. Maybe we need competent staff, who will free us up to develop our business. Perhaps we need tax advice to maximise our profitability?

At a more basic level we might need to look for a holiday. Something to anticipate with relish and energise us through the long business days until we can escape to the beach.

Many of us have a ‘to do’ list and jolly good things they are too. How many have a ‘looking for list’ though?

How many of us even stop to consider what we really need to look for?

We might react to events in business and yet it’s smarter to plan for the future, anticipate our needs and share our thoughts with trusted allies.

I am looking for a CEO who values coaching and would like to support their staff. This person also needs to understand the benefits of organisational Transactional Analysis, or be open to hearing about them. They also need to know that a good coach can increase staff well-being, which in turn can boost productivity.

It’s always good in business to keep an eye on the bottom line!

If you know of such a CEO, please invite them to make contact.

As we say in radio, other coaches are available. There’s only one me though!

And if you’re looking for something, let me know. I may know someone too! Be specific though …if we ask for the world we may get nothing.

If we ask for an ice cream, then all we have to do is agree on the flavour and it’s easily sorted.

Maybe Bono is still looking. Perhaps he’d have been better off being more specific and he could have sung:

“I’ve just found the specific thing I was looking for.”

Maybe I should go into the pop business? Probably not…

This week, have fun being specific!

Next week: Grandiosity And Me Me Me!