It’s “Sales Kick Off” season and for anyone directly involved it can be exhilarating and thankless. To survive you need exceptional management skills, political savvy and obscene amounts of caffeine. Balancing the speakers who feel the crucial need to present for hours on end to an audience with an 8-second attention span is not for the novice.
Throw in a “start from scratch” sales academy, global planning for partners, an SE Summit, a newly elected Vice Chair position at the community college and you are nearing the edge. Add interviewing for a promotion, that deep down you believe you have earned, and you should look for a lifeline.
HR emailed me and told me they were accelerating the interview process and I would meet with everyone next week. Seriously? This is the busiest time of the year and now I needed to find time to prep.
Thursday arrived. I had a printed copy of my resume, my 2018 plan, my questions & my elevator pitch. My first interview would be the hardest because my previous meetings had not gone well. I am a Jersey girl who multi-tasks like a pro and at speaks at 181 words per minute. He is more thoughtful and intimidating. I took a deep breath and held out my hand. I was following directions set forth by HR; this was an interview.
This burly man mentioned that the situation was a bit odd. He was not sure why we were going through the process but I pushed on. He asked questions, I spoke slowly and provided concise answers. He paused again questioning why we were going through this exercise. Again, I explained that I had been advised by my current boss to interview if I wanted a promotion. The cadence changed and I could sense the progress.
Until. He leaned back in his chair and placed his hands on his chest as if to signify something was coming that I was not going to like. In a sincere voice he said, “In my career, I have never done anything like this. You must be feeling uncomfortable and probably insulted”. There is was – empathetic acknowledgment piercing deep into my confidence splitting it wide open. Then it happened, the one emotion that no woman interviewing for a senior level role should never show. Tears. Yes, ladies, I let us all down. They welled up, my mind was screaming to stop. He continued, “You are a valued member of this team but I need someone with …”. Had he been a jerk I would have been fine but this unexpected display of humanity and compassion knocked me off my game.
It has been a week and I can now tell the story without choking up. My sister put it best, “This man, who you barely know was intuitive enough to play a percentage and he got it right on the first take. You are destined for greater things so dab your eyes and take a deep breath. This is a stepping stone, no need to knock any more, this just isn’t your time at the door. “
foursetsofeyes 
Become an author. You have a writing style that pulls people in. 😉