23 Jan Two Cent Tuesday – Don’t Be Afraid To Get Dirty
I remember when I was an adolescent and teenager playing baseball and football, one thing I would always hear from my coaches was “don’t be afraid to get dirty.” When you are playing baseball, if you are rounding third base barreling towards home plate and you know the centerfielder who fielded the ball has a rocket of an arm, be prepared to “get dirty” by sliding into home as it gives you a better chance of beating the tag. If you are a wide receiver burning down the field on a post pattern and the quarterback throws a ball just beyond your reach, “get dirty” and dive for that ball. If you are playing volleyball and the other team spikes the ball forcing it low but still within reach, “get dirty” by diving and digging that ball, preventing it from hitting the ground.
Getting dirty scored that run. You might have some bumps and bruises from colliding with the catcher, but you scored the run!
Getting dirty got that 1st down on 4th and 10. You might have a facemask full of turf, but that first down led to the game-winning field goal!
Getting dirty saved the team from elimination by setting up a point that shifted the momentum of the match. You may have devoured a nice serving of sand, but you caused the pendulum to swing in the other direction leading to victory!
In the world of recruiting, you get dirty by duct taping the phone to your hand (figuratively speaking…maybe 🙂 ) so your only option is to press and then depress the hook and make the next call. There is nothing pleasant about tearing that duct tape off your hand at the end of the day, but you uncovered two outstanding candidates who are interested in meeting with your client.
In the world of civil engineering, it might be getting down and dirty in the technical elements of a particular job to fully understand the process before trying to jump right into project management. You won’t experience glory right away, but one day when a potential client quizzes your technical knowledge or asks for you to give an example of similar work that you have completed you will pass their test.
Or maybe it is overcoming your fear of marketing and business development by picking up the phone or sending out an email inviting a potential client to lunch. You may get ignored or shot down nine times out of ten, but that one acceptance of your invitation may lead to a lifetime customer.
So whether you are a fellow recruiter, a civil engineer, or any other profession for that matter…
DON’T BE AFRAID TO GET DIRTY!
That’s my two cents, do you agree?
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