Have Conviction in Your Role and Responsibilities

Have Conviction in Your Role and Responsibilities

Welcome back to the 24th issue of Disrupting Conversations! 

I love the feeling of conviction. 

Conviction is when the strength of our intent far outweighs any insecurity or uncertainty we feel regarding our actions, choices, or what we say. It’s that moment where we give ourselves permission to ask the tough question, make the difficult observation, or do something that goes against the grain.   

As a parent, I feel strongly that my role is not to shield my kids from life’s lessons; it’s to shepherd them through those lessons. That means I take a different approach than many others. Rather than working to protect them, I challenge them to make observations about their situations—even if they’re difficult—because I care about them. I feel that doing anything different would be a disservice to them. 

It’s easy to have conviction in this role because my intent is benevolent. I’m focused on my kids’ growth and well-being.  

Similarly, it’s intent that makes it so hard for so many people in sales or leadership to build trust by asking the difficult questions or challenging the status quo. They lack conviction because their intent is off.  

Today, let's talk about how to strengthen our intent, so we can toughen our conversation conviction. 

Breaking Sales is my podcast to connect with those who are ready to break free from the chains of old sales methodologies that don’t work.

Title of Episode:  Evolving Trust with Kent Grayson 

🎙️As I mentioned, asking those tough questions and challenging the status quo builds trust. Nobody knows the importance of trust better than Kent Grayson, an expert on trust and authenticity in the marketplace, and that makes this throwback episode well worth the listen.  

In this one-on-one interview, Kent and I discuss the origins of trust in early human society, the importance of risk tolerance, and how sales professionals can build trust with their prospects and clients.

Think Different: What’s Your Role and Responsibility? 

Recently, I’ve been interviewing pediatric critical care professionals. 

My purpose for having these conversations is to better understand how these talented and brave professionals separate their emotions from their work and avoid internalizing a “good” or “bad” outcome. Think about the pressure these doctors and nurses are under. It’s unfortunately life and death, and many have children of their own. 

Listening to their stories about having to communicate life-threatening diagnoses to parents, making extremely difficult decisions, and performing under pressure when a child codes has been surreal. 

Imagine being the person that has the responsibility of telling the child's parents that nothing more can be done, and you have to turn off the life-sustaining equipment. 

One of the mindful strategies that these professionals use is to remind themselves that the greatest gift they can give the patient and parents is benevolence. They know they are doing the family and patient a disservice if they don’t ask the tough questions, make the difficult decisions, or provide kind candor. 

Their intent to help is so dominant—their conviction about the professional mandate to “do no harm” is so strong—that it trumps their own needs, insecurities, or discomfort.  

Let’s be clear: I am in no way comparing the trauma and heartbreak of a severely injured or sick child to everyday sales and leadership responsibilities. However, the concept of risking a disservice to someone else is incredibly powerful in any capacity or industry.  

When I go into a sales or leadership situation, I have full conviction in my role, and that responsibility or purpose is to be benevolent. If I’m not, I’m wasting both my time and the other person's time—and doing them a complete disservice. We owe each other more than that. 

One of the main reasons why salespeople have such a hard time asking tough questions or providing kind candor is because their intent is self-serving. They’ve been taught to ask questions to uncover pain and then sell their solution, all in the anticipation of making a sale. 

It is tough to have conviction when the reward is solely determined by what you gain. 

Don’t agree? Well, give it a try before you discount my rationale. Prior to your next sales call, remind yourself that your role and responsibility is only to determine if and how the prospect needs help, and if you don’t ask the meaningful questions, you’re doing the other person a disservice. 

Or, the next time you have to give tough feedback to someone on your team, remind yourself that, without the feedback, the other person can’t get better—they won’t be able to reach their potential. 

Having conviction in your intent is like having the keys to unlock the handcuffs that typically hold you back during your conversations.  

It starts with you letting go of what you want and instead prioritizing what the other person needs.   

Thanks for reading!

Want to know more about the work I’m doing? Follow me on LinkedIn.

Was this newsletter shared with you? Subscribe here.

Learn more about Lappin180.