Day 75 - Confidence
Yesterday, I was told my confidence may work against me. Today, I had a different experience altogether.
I met with the president of a consulting firm in Vancouver, WA and had a wonderful conversation. He had found me on LinkedIn, indicating we were friends. I didn’t know him, so I wrote back, asking if we had met. When he responded, saying he had noticed that we did the same sort of work and both graduated from the same university, I replied with “Great news! I thought we had met before and I had somehow forgotten you.”
It was a natural conversation. We talked about all sorts of things - history, family, education, work experience, professional philosophies - and there seemed to be a natural fit. By the end, he was telling me about how he brings consultants into his practice, and offered to have me sit in on any or all of the workshops they offer. The first one on the calendar is scheduled for the end of September. I told him of course I’ll be interested in attending.
As soon as I got home, I sent a Thank You email and then put a card in the mail. I was feeling very hopeful this could grow into something really good.
Later this evening, as I was preparing to meet a friend for dinner, I started to second-guess myself. I wondered if I had asked enough questions; I realized I didn’t do a proper needs assessment - asking him what his needs are and what a successful collaboration looks like, etc., although we did discuss some of these things. I thought about how I could have approached the conversation as if I were already working for him (or for a client) instead of chatting with a colleague. Was that the right thing to do?
Tonight, I received a response from my email: “The feeling is mutual. I look forward to more discussions and collaborations.”
Hmmm... Maybe some people like the idea that I “have [my] act together.” Maybe confidence doesn’t work against me after all. We’ll see.
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