Happy Memorial Day. Any Memorial Day I don’t burn down my garage is a good one and this one qualifies!
I have some additions to my outdoor space and have gone with a black and white, more mid-century modern theme. As I write this, I am under my newly bought half price at JC Penny’s outdoor umbrella, working on my bought last year from Overstock, outdoor dining table. More pictures to follow.
It was a double gig weekend and it will be back to corporate life tomorrow. I like my split life, corporate world and girl in the band. It wasn’t my original plan, but I can honestly say, I have gotten a lot farther in my day career because of all the skills I have learned from running a band.
I like my corporate job right now. My job requires I give product demonstrations and trainings on a daily basis. If you are afraid of talking to people, you wouldn’t make it in my world! It really is a form of entertainment. Yet, when the time comes for me to look for another career change, I won’t be mentioning I am in a band. This is from way back when I was a factory girl and some not very intelligent boss of mine, made a comment of, “Well, maybe you could get to work on time if you weren’t spending so much time on your band.”. Which is sad, because some of my best work skills have been honed from being the girl in the band. Here are the top three:
BE COMFORTABLE IN ANY SITUATION: When you are in a cover band for any amount of time, you will do everything from high end hotels to biker bars. You find out pretty quickly that people are people. Most are cool, some are not. Not matter what the venue, they just want to dance and have a good time.
In business, you can get dropped in a lot of different situations. After all the years of different gigs, I can say I feel just as comfortable giving a presentation to the CEO of a company as I am talking to the front line staff about what their day to day struggles are.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: This is key to any presentation, training or even a conversation! I am amazed by how executives from numerous companies I have worked for, don’t think about this key point. Just because YOU think they should be all over your great idea, doesn’t make it so. Over the years we have played a lot of songs that we don’t like, but the audience we are playing them for, love them! The same goes in business. I wouldn’t give a high level view of a product I am demonstrating to a group that needs to use it a specific way every day, any more than I would put “Poker Face” in a set for a client who tells me they hate Lady Gaga!
THE SHOW MUST GO ON: This is a big one. The greatest lesson I have learned from being a performer, is you do the show. NO MATTER WHAT! Tired? Had to have your dog put down yesterday? Just broke up with your significant other? NOT THE PROBLEM OF YOUR AUDIENCE! They came to have a good time and they expect you to deliver. Suck it up buttercup and give them your best. I can’t even begin to count the amount of times I didn’t “feel it,” when having to do a show. The same holds true in my corporate life. Giving a training on a Monday morning at 700am should be as informative and enthusiastic as one on Tuesday at 100pm. Not your customer’s fault you don’t like getting up early on Mondays. Fake it until you make it is a great motto more people should adapt.
So what about you? You might not be the girl in the band, but you have been a parent, a child, a sibling, a significant other! Take those “life experiences” and apply them to other areas of your life. Open the boxes and let everything you have spill into all parts of your life! You earned. Use it
I have some additions to my outdoor space and have gone with a black and white, more mid-century modern theme. As I write this, I am under my newly bought half price at JC Penny’s outdoor umbrella, working on my bought last year from Overstock, outdoor dining table. More pictures to follow.
It was a double gig weekend and it will be back to corporate life tomorrow. I like my split life, corporate world and girl in the band. It wasn’t my original plan, but I can honestly say, I have gotten a lot farther in my day career because of all the skills I have learned from running a band.
I like my corporate job right now. My job requires I give product demonstrations and trainings on a daily basis. If you are afraid of talking to people, you wouldn’t make it in my world! It really is a form of entertainment. Yet, when the time comes for me to look for another career change, I won’t be mentioning I am in a band. This is from way back when I was a factory girl and some not very intelligent boss of mine, made a comment of, “Well, maybe you could get to work on time if you weren’t spending so much time on your band.”. Which is sad, because some of my best work skills have been honed from being the girl in the band. Here are the top three:
BE COMFORTABLE IN ANY SITUATION: When you are in a cover band for any amount of time, you will do everything from high end hotels to biker bars. You find out pretty quickly that people are people. Most are cool, some are not. Not matter what the venue, they just want to dance and have a good time.
In business, you can get dropped in a lot of different situations. After all the years of different gigs, I can say I feel just as comfortable giving a presentation to the CEO of a company as I am talking to the front line staff about what their day to day struggles are.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: This is key to any presentation, training or even a conversation! I am amazed by how executives from numerous companies I have worked for, don’t think about this key point. Just because YOU think they should be all over your great idea, doesn’t make it so. Over the years we have played a lot of songs that we don’t like, but the audience we are playing them for, love them! The same goes in business. I wouldn’t give a high level view of a product I am demonstrating to a group that needs to use it a specific way every day, any more than I would put “Poker Face” in a set for a client who tells me they hate Lady Gaga!
THE SHOW MUST GO ON: This is a big one. The greatest lesson I have learned from being a performer, is you do the show. NO MATTER WHAT! Tired? Had to have your dog put down yesterday? Just broke up with your significant other? NOT THE PROBLEM OF YOUR AUDIENCE! They came to have a good time and they expect you to deliver. Suck it up buttercup and give them your best. I can’t even begin to count the amount of times I didn’t “feel it,” when having to do a show. The same holds true in my corporate life. Giving a training on a Monday morning at 700am should be as informative and enthusiastic as one on Tuesday at 100pm. Not your customer’s fault you don’t like getting up early on Mondays. Fake it until you make it is a great motto more people should adapt.
So what about you? You might not be the girl in the band, but you have been a parent, a child, a sibling, a significant other! Take those “life experiences” and apply them to other areas of your life. Open the boxes and let everything you have spill into all parts of your life! You earned. Use it
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