This weekend I was talking with a friend of mine who is a newly-minted Psychologist. I told him about how frustrated I get when I’m working with a client and pitching every new idea I can think of only to have them rebut me with every assumption in the book.
Not with facts, not with evidence that what I’m proposing won’t work, but with their assumptions rooted in their fears or misperceptions that are holding them back.
I feel like saying, “Then what do you expect me to say? Why are you asking for my help?”
And often I’ll be on the other side of the fence, and people will pitch me new ideas for products and services. What I’ve found is to always keep an open mind because the NEXT thing they say might be the break I’m looking for. The other thing to consider is if I’m noticing a trend in the suggestions people are making, then this is definitely an avenue I need to pursue.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t assume that everything that comes out of my mouth is the absolute best idea in the world, I tend to do a lot of brainstorming and can come up with some pretty random ideas at times.
But immediately shooting down an idea without actually doing real research to see if it has legs, is not doing yourself any favors.
When I was describing this to my Psychologist friend, he said that this attitude of negativity could be a sign of a deeper issue, and in some cases relates back to not being able to explore new possibilities as a child.
My concern about these people from a job search perspective is that this comes through quickly in an interview. Employers are typically not looking for people who are inflexible, resistant to change and new ideas. They may not want out of the box thinkers proposing new ideas every day, but they want people who are generally easy to get along with and won’t put up barriers to changes in processes or procedures.
If this sounds like you-if you might be falling into this rut-please, please seek help. Speak to someone at a local church, or research support groups in your area. It’s unreasonable to expect that your life is going to miraculously change for the better if you’re not open to change at all.
Now, let’s go get some jobs!
Melanie Szlucha’s company Red Inc. Helps candidates stand out from the crowd–in a good way. Follow her on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/Red_Inc) or check out her website: http://www.reallygreatresume.com
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