3 Tools to Help Get What You Want

I am thrilled to have Mike Henry, Sr. as a guest blogger.  I met Mike on Twitter I’m guessing six or seven years ago and couldn’t be happier to have kept in touch with him ever since.  Read his words of wisdom, folks:

I’ve had, lost, quit and applied for a number of jobs over the years. A key factor in this process was my own inability to communicate expectations. Especially when speaking with people in authority, I was often unable to communicate my desires and expectations. As a result, I got involved in many jobs that really just weren’t right for me.

Communicating expectations is a key to success. How can you get what you want in the world if you can’t explain to someone what you want? The same thing is true whether or not you’re pursuing a career or working with a team. In fact, I see 3 tools necessary to success when communicating expectations.

First, know what you want. Part of my bouncing around in my career resulted from my own lack of clarity about what I wanted. In my younger years all I wanted was money. But I found that to be empty and started working more for purpose. Then my problem was working for people who only wanted money.

Second, consider your need from the other’s perspective. You need to understand the person you’re dealing with and their values and goals. In my employer example, I often thought the job description was what they wanted and I’ve found that to seldom be the case. Often employers and vendors want something much more personal and immeasurable. But they’re willing to take the job description or the service they sell as a placeholder.

Third, Ask. That’s right. Ask. But be clear and precise and try to present it from the other person’s perspective. Ask. I never explained my career objectives to many of those companies. I simply got frustrated and quit. Had I asked, I might have been able to change my career within the organization. But not having asked, I never knew.

When I became clear about the type of job I wanted, it was easier to find. And when I’m clear about what I need someone to do, either on my team or when I’m buying something from someone, I’m often much more successful in achieving the desired result. Know what you want. Shoot for your highest best. Don’t settle or ask for what you think you’re going to get.

But then I learned the best thing about what I wanted. My greatest joy comes from helping others. Sure, I have a job to do. But when I can do that job helping others, it’s more fun. It means more; and it provides a greater satisfaction. When I help others, I find energy and ideas and strength to do things I never thought I’d do on my own.

In fact, maybe we should cook this off to 2 things: Know what you want and Help others.

What about you? What tools would you suggest? How have you done? I know asking a qualified person to help you is one sure fire way to get what you want. Any other suggestions? Comment below and let everyone have your thoughts on the matter.

Mike Henry Sr. (@mikehenrysr, LinkedIn) is a VP of IT who also speaks and writes on leadership, character and faith at http://mikehenrysr.com. He’s one of the co-authors of The Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution… One Person at a Time. He also invites you to take part in his current project: a survey about your perceptions of the Christian Faith in the workplace. Check it out at this link.

Photo: Copyright: 123RF Stock Photo

Mike Henry, Sr.

mike@mikehenrysr.com | (918) 401-0011

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