Have you ever been shopping and had your mind set on buying a particular thing and the sales assistant appeared to be doing everything they could to talk you out of it?

It’s a curious thing.

It comes down to what we value.

For example, if you’re a salesperson and you want the cheapest price when you buy something, it’s highly likely that you will expect that your clients have the same value.

Often they do not.

Here’s an example from one of my colleagues.

My colleague values his time and efficiency.

He went to the hairdresser to get his haircut.

The hairdresser thought that the longer she took and the more she fussed over the cut, the happier her clients would be.

This didn’t suit my colleague. He valued his time, not the cost of the haircut or how much the hairdresser fussed.

To the hairdresser, he said, “I will pay you double if you can cut my hair in half the time?”

This shocked the hairdresser because she couldn’t comprehend that someone would pay more for less time.

So, for you this week, I encourage you to have a look at your values and see if you might be unconsciously trying to impose them on others.

Allow others to value what they value.

If you are serving customers, please take the time to listen, really listen to what they want and as best as you can, give it to them.

They will love you for it.

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I was coaching with one of my fabulous clients this week. We’ll call her Paris.

Paris had booked in for a coaching session around November last year but rescheduled until early January.

She had a lot going on with work, kids, extended family and Christmas.

As it turns out, there was a bit more going on and Paris admitted that she had decided she wanted to take action from our previous coaching session and then update me with the progress she had made.

An Advisor personality, Paris likes to research and analyse all the data. It can sometimes take her (and most Advisors) a while before she swings into action.

I was super impressed with the action she had taken in such a short time.

It was inspiring.

Paris mentioned that she appreciated the feeling of being held accountable and at times how forthright my feedback could be.

“I seem to respond well to being told the truth and challenged”, she reflected.

As we neared the end of the session, Paris shared that she will book in again when she has made further progress. She didn’t want to use the word ‘brag’, but that’s exactly what she wants to do.

She wants to be able to share what action and achievements she has made between sessions.

I love this spirit and this attitude. Rather than a coaching session or accountability call, I suggested we call our sessions “Inspiration Calls” because that’s what they are.

The sessions inspire Paris to take the action she needs and when she does and gets the results, it inspires me too. Win Win.

So, how about you?

Have you got someone who is willing to call you on your behaviour or mindset when you need it?

Have you got someone who can hold you accountable, even if for the little things you want to achieve?

As an example, Ross and I hold each other accountable to go to the gym.  If either of us doesn’t go, the other one feels vindicated to not go either. As a result, we encourage ourselves to go.

Having someone in your corner is critical. I don’t know many people who have the discipline, drive and perseverance to do it all alone.

This week, I’d like you to really think about who supports you and cheers you on and tells you the truth. Who inspires you? Whether it’s a family member, friend, colleague or professional, when you know who it is, heap gratitude on them. Show them how much you appreciate who they are and what they do for you.  Odds are, if you don’t tell them or show them, they won’t know.

P. S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thoughts delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/weekly-thoughts.