I spent about a half hour on Friday talking on the phone with someone I have never met before. A mutual colleague of ours thought I could offer some advice to this person, and I was more than happy to do so. We talked about retention of students in higher education; how to transition a career path from student life to enrollment/admissions, and how to finish a dissertation. I hopefully offered a few nuggets of advice, immediately sent her a packet of additional resources and went on my way.
Last week I wrote about another colleague who called for advice on how to deal with an issue he was having. As I said then, I love getting these types of calls. It never occurred to me before someone commented about that blog entry, but I get these kind of requests a lot. People have joked that I am "dial-a-trainer" -- need an icebreaker? Call beth. Need an training exercise for something? She's your gal. Need leadership coaching on how to deal with a sticky situation? Give her a call.
I have people in my Rolodex (yes, and in my electronic contacts file) that are my "go-to" people for certain situations. I know people who "know a guy" for about any local need you may have. I have resources for public relations, technology problems, social media and fix-it issues. Apparently I'm the one people call with training or coaching questions.
What are you "the guy" for? What kind of questions do friends send your way? Think about what has been designated as your area of expertise -- and whether it is what you want to be known for. Can you take a step today to foster this reputation -- or start to change it?
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
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