Dan Waldschmidt is a business strategist, speaker, and chief content creator at Edgy Conversations, a sales blog ranked in the top 7 by the Wall Street Journal. Securing an entry-level position immediately after college, he changed the company’s sales processes and quickly became CEO just three years later. So, what can we learn from our man Dan?
Dan says, “Whatever you do, don’t just do nothing.” That’s fair, isn’t it? Sometimes, we become so paralyzed by the fear of the unknown, of making the wrong decision, that we fail to do anything, which of course, is a choice in and of itself. Just not a very productive one. Choose something, and then go do it.
Dan says, “Only idiots don’t play politics.” Sometimes we chastise those who seem to have a nose stained brown. “Teacher’s pet,” we hurl the elementary insult in her face like a slick spit ball. Understanding how to connect with people, talk with people, and not just whisper requests via cyberspace to people doesn’t make you a suck-up. It makes you smart, empathetic, effective.
Dan says, “You can’t sleep when you’re dead.” This is my favorite nugget of advice. I always cringe inside when someone tells me to just push through; you can sleep when you’re dead. Well Dan says you can’t, and I believe him. Don’t ever underestimate the power of self-maintenance, healthy living, and spiritual growth. It’ll equip you to do better work and spend less time spinning your wheels.
Dan says a lot more things, some worthwhile, others you could probably afford to skip, just like we can say about the work we produce too. What do your favorite sales bloggers say?
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Great Post! I like how you can apply all of theses pieces of advice to many aspects of life. I love the “You can’t sleep when you’re dead” advice. I think many times we underestimate the power of rest and growth and become very inefficient and burnout.
I think “You can’t sleep when you’re dead” balances “Whatever you do, don’t just do nothing.” There are times when you need to do nothing to avoid – like you said – spinning your wheels. Although I suppose sleeping is doing something. I think it oftentimes all comes back to discernment and intentionality. Be clear-minded and purposeful in your decisions, your politics, and your self-maintenance.
I really appreciated your insightful comments here. What a great find on Dan! You’re right–it’s time to stop slandering those who know how to network as brown-nosers. Emotional and social intelligence is a rare skill, and those that have cultivated it well should not be shamed for their ability to read social cues and react appropriately.