Life-long learner

Both Jamaican and Danish cultures value humility. I was raised to stay grounded and not "get too big for my boots." Humility is important, but sometimes you need to set it aside and remember that sharing your accomplishments isn't bragging if you’ve done the work.

I’ve learned that the less I strive for perfection, the easier it is to connect with people. Recently, Casper Emil from SparkForce gave a masterclass for my Brotherhood for Professionals of Color (BPoC) community, and he encouraged us to share our personal brand with more people. Now, I am posting on LinkedIn on a regular basis - wish me luck.

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Breaking patterns of behaviour

Diversity serves as a trigger as it makes people dig deeper, work harder and question themselves. There’s more conflict in these diverse groups – conflict of opinions and perspectives – and that leads to better outcomes. Don’t trust me, you can read the McKinsey & Co. reports.

i have been advised to be a little more active on LinkedIn to establish myself as a thought leader. This is my challenge for September as I have conditioned to believe that self-praise is no recommendation. I will give it a try…

““The moment you realise not everybody is going to like you is the moment you take back your power.””

— Burrellism

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Preparation is key

I think a good salesperson can book a meeting regardless of the product or service. In fact, a good salesperson is not selling the product or service when they ask for a meeting. Instead, the meeting is the product that they’re selling. A good salesperson is selling the value of having a meeting with them. To be effective here, you have to believe that it’s valuable for your potential client to have a meeting with you, regardless of the product or service.

The better prepared you are prior to a negotiation, the more likely it is that the outcome of the negotiation will be satisfactory for both parties involved. Preparation requires that you do two things:

1. Get all the information that you can about the upcoming negotiation.

2. Think the negotiation through from beginning to end, and be fully prepared for any eventuality.

The first kind of information you need is about the product or service and the person with whom you will be negotiating via Linkedin. You obtain this information by choosing good questions to ask that are well thought out. In this sense, information becomes a form of power, and the power is always on the side of the person with the best information.

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