Finding your theme for success in the year ahead.
Anew year and new place in time. Are you searching for new ideas to find the motivation to be your best self and drive for success in the year ahead? Do you need a fresh start? Do you need to find a different path? Or do you need something to inspire ideas for bigger business challenges on the road forward? And what is this “walk-up song,” you may be asking? If you’re not a follower of Major League Baseball, when a batter approaches the plate at home games, he may have a song that inspires energy and a vibe that projects hype and swagger to go yard on the first pitch, and a connection with the home team crowd for additional hype and atmosphere to intimidate the opposing pitcher and his team.
Extending this to other settings outside of sports, a walk-up song could set the tone and boost confidence prior to a big sales call or meeting, preparing for an interview, approaching the podium for a major presentation or pitching your business idea to a group of investors to name a few. Any situation where you need that extra boost of confidence or something to jack up your spirits to a higher level. Lyrics are a bonus, if they fit, but the tone and beat will set your mind in motion to think big and feel invincible. A couple examples to explore might include “The Champion” by Carrie Underwood, the version featuring Ludacris, and “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. Try a few and see what fits you best. Pop in the ear buds and go for it. And weave this into other ideas for growth and success in 2025.
Industry and Professional Associations
Join and get involved. Being around those in your professional space, seeing how they resolve challenges and experience growth can be invaluable. Connect and serve to be a part of the organization that serves you. Volunteers make it happen and the benefits go both ways. Those that give also receive. Here are a few examples. Search out your local chapter or section to join:
- National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP)
- Salesforce Trailblazer Community (CRM)
- Sales Management Association (SMA)
- American Marketing Association (AMA)
- Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM)
- American Welding Society (AWS)
And, of course, our very own GAWDA, with so many resources and benefits you may not even be aware of. Dig in and explore. If you haven’t fully engaged yet, get started by attending a monthly Safety Meeting. Experience the knowledge and expertise of the GAWDA consultants in a virtual setting, where you’ll hear about current topics in safety and regulatory compliance with the opportunity to ask questions and explore.
Embrace New Technology
Don’t get fooled by thinking AI has been overplayed lately and back off because you think you know everything there is to know with ChatGPT or CoPilot at your disposal. One area to explore that can enable deeper customer engagement is augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Both of these can extend product demonstrations in a virtual setting, where customers and potential customers can mimic real world settings and try before they buy. As an example, consider a virtual demonstration on how a new tank can be placed into a customer setting, accounting for existing space available and landscape and street view perspectives. Voila! See it and understand how the controls will operate and fit into the current setting before moving forward. Any questions? Just ask Alexa or Siri or ChatGPT or CoPilot. There are lots of friends out there that can help you. Embrace the technology that continues to develop.
Are you LinkedIn?
Yes, the LinkedIn discussion again. It’s that important. Keep your networking game going…always! There are several new features to take advantage of on the premium social platform for business and yes, some of it involves “AI”. There are more opportunities to boost your connections and your connections, connections. Post content and use the new “rewrite with AI” feature to refine your message. Explore expanded group features and discover new groups aligned with your interests and expertise. Comment and get involved. Be seen and heard on LinkedIn, it can make the difference.
Connecting our lead-in topic of baseball with networking, explore the story of Hayden Harris. Professional baseball is a close-knit community and, traditionally, the scouts know everything about everyone. This is who the owners and managers lean on for info about available players who may be a fit for their organization. Prospective players looking for teams spend their livelihood working out in front of scouts and player personnel. It’s a dream come true for those that make it to the bigs in the MLB. And using LinkedIn to get there was never the traditional path. But then there’s Hayden’s story. With his persistence, he reached out to connect with a scout in the Atlanta Braves organization. When all else failed and his chances seemed to be waning, a message on LinkedIn to Alan Butts, one of the Braves scouts for the Georgia area. In his words, “Hey Alan, wanted to reach out and introduce myself. I’m Hayden Harris and looking for a pro opportunity…” From there, Hayden’s vision of playing in the Atlanta Braves organization came true and he’s currently living his dream as a pitcher in their minor league organization. So, if it works in baseball, what more do you need to hear that LinkedIn will work for you in the business world?
Moving forward to 2025, get your walk-up song ready and stand tall with all your goals and aspirations for the year. I’m ready and got my song queued up, “Whatever it Takes” by Imagine Dragons. Let’s go, batter up!
