By: Joel Basa, eMarketing Manager, Xerox Graphic Communications Business Group
Let’s start with a trivia question, name this quote, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” Do you know the answer? I think many of you do.
The answer: G.I. Joel….oops I meant G.I. Joe! Such a simple quote but I think this resonates with almost everyone (be it at work or at home). Having recently returned from Graph Expo, I strongly feel, “knowing is half the battle.” With a busy schedule and many responsibilities while in Chicago, it was important for me to “know” in order to remain focused.
Know You’re Prepared – For those of you that have been to a tradeshow, you should know that preparation in the weeks prior is where majority of the work is. As we prepared our Xerox “Social Wall”* the majority of the work was planning the activities to support “participation” from the industry on our wall. Once our team had planned that, staying focused at the show was much easier. With all projects, if you prepare and know you’re fully prepared, the job is completed much more easily!
Know Your Resources – Although my primary responsibilities at Graph Expo were to participate in industry conversation on #graphexpo* and manage content on our social wall, my secondary responsibility included demoing a Social Media + Print Application created by Personera* and printed on a Xerox 550/560. What was important for me was to understand the resources around me and how I can leverage their knowledge in case a question came in that fell outside my primary responsibilities. This took time but I was comfortable fielding questions that fell outside my realm.
Know and Understand the Big Picture – I know I’m guilty of being “silo-ed” and not fully understanding the “big picture” but I didn’t want to do this while at Graph Expo. Conversations with customers can go any direction and it was important for me to understand their objectives and our booth’s objectives. Doing so allowed me to “connect the dots” and have more effective conversations with show attendees. The same can be said on the job. Understanding the big picture can help you be a better communicator with your colleagues and customers.
“Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” What other things should you “know” to be more focused on the job?
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The content shared in this blog post is the author’s opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of Xerox. #FocusFriday is a weekly conversation helping people with productivity in the office. Posts can be at the same time fun and serious, in the spirit of the Xerox’s Business of Your Brain app, yet always focused on what matters most, Real Business.
*Updated November 21, 2017.
