Changing careers is a daunting task.
The most shell shocking realization I had was that I needed to relearn how I learned. When I decided to move from sales to tech, I noticed small habits that I needed to adjust. I saw a premium on building a framework and work on soft skills that I hadn’t previously emphasized.
Here are some of the soft skills to keep in mind:
- Reading Comprehension
- Researching Methods
- Critical Thinking
- Flexibility
- Failing
Reading Comprehension
I started researching the reading habits and techniques of successful people. There was a beneficial series of videos by Quartz of Bill Gates. I’ll include a link to one of the videos at the end of the article.
One quote stuck with me. Gates said, “If you read enough, there’s a similarity between things that make it easy, because this thing is like this other thing. If you have a broad framework, then you have a place to put everything”.
When I changed my outlook from solving a single problem to creating a framework, I emphasized finishing everything I was reading.
Finish what you’re reading before moving on.
There was a time I was writing for a sports blog (feel free to talk to me about the Panthers whenever). The goal was to keep articles shorter than 350 words. Suppose there was an article longer than that. You’d likely lose readers. We are getting trained to consume a small amount of info and move on.
It’s critical to break that habit and reset your standards.
Researching Methods
“If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find someone who does.” I used to say that to prospects all of the time. I was doing my research strictly to find out how someone else found an answer, a single solution to the question.
At some point, my most powerful learning technique was to find a YouTube video and follow along. That’s useful, but it only shows one way to accomplish a task, and it only shows a single person’s perspective. Worst of all, there was always an edit that would skip over the exact thing I didn’t know.
My current method of choice is vendor-issued technical documentation. It’s a boring read. It’s full of irrelevant information. But it expands your knowledge so quickly. Another benefit of using resources closer to the vendor is that you won’t need to find multiple sources.
Critical Thinking
Applying lessons learned from one application to another.
In a technological world, the problems are like snowflakes. Every single one is unique. But there are a ton of similarities. You need to understand that there isn’t going to be a runbook for every issue. You time is going to be better spent on identifying gaps in your workflow.
It’s important to key in on the moments where you can’t find an answer. How much time do you give yourself before you reach out? How much context do you give when asking the question? Did you gather the right information?
When you have answers to those questions you’ll be on your way!
Flexibility
I’m using the word flexibility to express the willingness to accept change and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.
One of the best things you can do to accelerate your learning is to reach out to experts in your industry. Learn from their experiences and see if they can be added to your network.
Another situation would be seeking out interviews. Interviewing is a skill, but I think it’s one of the best ways to identify the gaps in your knowledge.
Failing
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ― Thomas A. Edison.
I’d suggest you pursue failure.
From personal experience, the most significant impact on my sales career was when I changed my cold call strategy. First off, cold calling sucks. But, when I changed my mindset from landing a set number of appointments to getting a set number of no’s, it changed everything. I put myself in a win-win scenario and was able to craft my cadence consistently.
Failure is a great thing.
Is there anything I missed? Is there a topic you’d like me to cover? Feel free to shoot me a message or leave a comment!
Here’s that link to the video mentioned above: How Bill Gates remembers what he reads - YouTube
Thanks for reading!