Today, I felt like a failure.
I had been working really hard on an important joint initiative with my partners in marketing and today was the big day. They crushed their part - the sellers were sharing a slew of shout outs in the Zoom chat function! The energy was ripe for an awesome breakout activity. And then… flop!
If you’re in enablement, you know the feeling - when you spend a lot of time on something, are excited to roll it out, think it is really going to land and it just totally misses the mark. I left the workshop feeling disconnected and a bit defeated.
And in this world of back-to-back zoom meetings, I couldn’t find a moment to shake my funk. My last meeting of the day was a follow-up chat to talk about Enablement Data Strategies with a few enablement leaders I met through our most recent Voray Virtual Happy Hour. I started the call by being vulnerable - I talked about the activity, where it went wrong, and what I’d do differently in hindsight. I was met with kindness, empathy and recognition that these things happen and it doesn’t reflect on my expertise.
We talked about how reaction-based surveys are a necessary evil. While enablement professionals are often perfectionists, striving for “10s” across the board, it’s important for us to hear from our target audience around their motivation to apply what they learned. We’re ultimately partnering with leaders on changing behaviors - training is a single stepping stone on that journey.
Whether or not you’re a one-person-show on your enablement team, all of us are having moments where we feel isolated and that amplifies the pain of our problems. Bringing together this community has shown me that I’m not alone in my challenges. (And the bonus is that this group is authentic, fun, funny and creative beyond belief!)
Part of what motivates me in my role is the ability to add value to the teams I support. When that didn’t go my way today, I got a second chance with my community network. My industry peers highlighted specific examples of where I have added value to their world through these recent conversations. I left feeling refreshed and ready to take the seller feedback in stride, recognizing that tomorrow is a new day.
I got this! (And you do too!)