Page 73 - Make Work Great

Clarity Within Relationships

are analyzing sales data differently. The next question—how do we cal-
culate the results?—may turn out to be the most important one of all.
The second set of questions is about your impact. These are the
“whys” behind your objectives:

• How will the results I produce benefi t the recipient?
• How will my work produce positive impact for my coworkers
or customers?
• What contribution am I making?
• Will I be able to tell that I’ve made a contribution?

In discussions about impact, you clarify the value you deliver to the
network. A conversation with a customer about what he or she really
wants may lead quickly to new understanding about what you need to
do. Perhaps you were hired to provide a product, but your unspoken
role is to give your customers peace of mind (a service of sorts). To be
successful, you need to clearly understand both components.
Third, consider your incentives. Here, you might ask questions like
these:

• What do I gain from doing this work?
• What do I enjoy about it?
• What parts of it bring me pleasure?
• Why did I agree to do this?

In this case, you’re seeking reasons to stay in the network. This con-
sideration is often overlooked, but notice how important it is: every
moment of every day, you choose whether to remain in the network
or disconnect from it. From that decision fl ows the energy you use
to maintain and strengthen your communication links. It’s critically
important for you to be clear that you are choosing to stay and why
you’re choosing to stay. The answers may come from you, a manager, a
mentor, or even a family member. But they must come from somewhere.
“Half in, half out” is a recipe for disaster (not to mention despair).

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