Remember back in grade school when teams were picked in gym class or on the playground? If you were a captain, you usually picked your friends first and tried to get the best athletes on your team. As the captains alternated selections, it was inevitable that someone would be chosen last.
Nobody wanted to be the last one picked, but sometimes it was the “new kid” who no one really knew, or perhaps a kid who just wasn’t very athletic.
A few years later, it wasn’t just captains picking teams on the playground; it was tryouts to see who “earned” a spot on the team…and who didn’t. Making the team was exciting, while getting cut was painful and sometimes embarrassing. For some kids, getting cut fueled them to practice harder, take lessons, and commit to making the team the next year. For others, it was a sign they might need to pursue a different sport, activity, or passion.
Adults on the Playground
The truth is, adulthood isn’t much different. We are all still hoping someone chooses us before choosing someone else. Dating life is all about getting picked…or picking the right partner. Careers are usually a series of interviews (or tryouts) to make the team. Sometimes you’re hoping to be picked for a promotion or opportunity for advancement inside your company or industry.
Last week, I wasn’t selected. A few major real estate events later this year announced their speaker lineups, and while I submitted a proposal to one of them, I didn’t make the cut this time around. As I watched friends and peers post their announcements on social media, I was genuinely happy for them. Some will be speaking for the very first time. Others earned return invitations because they’ve consistently delivered value year after year.
I did, however, get picked twice last week by homeowners who are selling their houses. One is a client that I helped buy a few years ago, and he told me there wasn’t even any question that I would be his listing agent. My follow-up and efforts to maintain and deepen our relationship since we closed on his house years ago helped earn me a “spot” on his team. The other was a relocation opportunity, and I was picked over the other broker to be the one who would get to put a sign in the yard and work hard to sell that house and get my clients to their next destination. We also have a few buyers closing next month whose offers were selected in multiple-offer scenarios.
You win some. You lose some.
Truthfully, most of us hear “no” far more often than we hear “yes.”
I’m sure I’ll have a little FOMO later in the year when my friends and fellow speakers head to the big events to deliver their presentations to attendees. I’ll be ready to submit proposals again next year when the Call for Presentations opens, in hopes that I’ll get picked.
We all want to be picked.
Sometimes for a team.
Sometimes for an opportunity.
Sometimes for a relationship.
Sometimes for a seat at the table.
You won’t always get selected.
But if you continue showing up, improving your craft, building relationships, and treating people the right way, your chances of hearing your name called increase dramatically.
I’ll keep touching the 6 channels of communication so my customers, clients, and community think of me when they need a Realtor, speaker, or consultant.
I’ll keep building relationships, solving problems, and having fun.
And I’ll keep putting myself in position to get picked.
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