Sometimes I struggle with what would be of interest to someone other than me in our blog.   Today it occurred to me that many times the message you are trying to convey isn’t the message being received by the recipient.  What is your message and how is it being received is a critical question that we must continue to ask ourselves as professionals.

My wife has a favorite saying that she shared with me some twenty years ago and I’m not sure I fully understood it until recently.  She said “Every situation is like a tennis match; how you serve the ball may not have the same effect as the person on the other side of the net.  And the return may not be what you were expecting either. “A very smart person.

As business professionals are we trying to build a relationship first or do our actions lean toward getting to the finish line no matter the cost?  What is your message and how is it being received?  Too many times we do not stop and consider the demands being put on the time of our customers and clients.  What we may being trying to accomplish with them may only be a small part of their overall responsibility.  What are the demands on their time away from their profession?  How many times do we take this into consideration?  Too many times it’s about our needs and what we have to have happen and not what is best for the others involved.

We need to teach ourselves to number our days in order gain wisdom.  Do you evaluate the outcomes of your relationships whether they are good or bad? My maternal grandmother would always say “there’s good and bad in all” when I was young.  Like my wife’s advice I didn’t realized the value the first time I heard her say that.  Often times it’s beneficial to look within yourself in order to improve and continuously improve the process you are offering to others.

What is “Your” message and how is it being received?  What side of the net are you on?