Babette Ten Haken

Contact Babette
  • Home
  • Programs
    • Keynote Presentations
    • Breakouts & Workshops
    • Coaching & Facilitation
  • Blog
  • About Babette
    • Testimonials
    • Honors & Awards
  • Contact Me!
You are here: Home / Customer Experience, Success, Loyalty, Retention / Are You A Bench Player or A Field Player?

Are You A Bench Player or A Field Player?

February 12, 2012 by Babette Ten Haken Leave a Comment

Many of you know I’m an NCAA basketball fan. And after watching the games this weekend, some of my friends agonized to me about how practice team players are brought onto the court with 19 seconds left on the clock, even though their team is 18 points ahead. Why aren’t they given more playing time, with that kind of lead?

Because they are bench players, and not even the 6th man or woman.

So what role do you take in your company? Even if you are the sole proprietor. Do you prefer sitting on the bench, rather than pressing forward to win a contract? Knowing you are going to have to get right back out there again and repeat your efforts, over and over. There’s no time to get comfortable back on the bench.

For many technically-oriented professionals – in both engineering and business – the thought of being a field player is daunting.

The bench seems so comfortable, so secure. Yet after the meltdown of 2008, technical expertise and degrees aren’t insurance for job security. You have to develop what it takes to contribute to your company’s revenue stream.

Where do you think your salary comes from? You know as well as I do that bench players don’t get paid as much as field players. First string and fourth string are light years apart.

It’s about the value and relevance we contribute to the throughput and output of our associates that makes all the difference. And it’s about our desire to be valuable and relevant as well.

Being a bench player has many merits. You get to observe the process of how to get things accomplished. You get to become a student of the game. You get to observe group behavioral dynamics. You get to develop that 10,000 eagle’s eye view of how throughput and output contribute to generating revenue – or points on the board – for your company or your team. A lot of bench players who understand this aspect of their role become great coaches.

If you currently are that bench player, how are you utilizing the opportunities available to you for observing and learning?

You get to ask the coaches and owners questions about what you are observing, you know. And in establishing dialogue, you are moving yourself 1 millimeter outside of your current professional comfort level as well. In sharing their perspective with you, the coaches and owners begin to perceive you as an engaged bench player who is interested in all aspects of the business of making points in the paint and driving revenue.

How you use your current job to develop an enhanced, collaborative functional role for your team and company is up to you. Make the most of the opportunities that are available to you, instead of feeling boxed in. You just may end up becoming that 6th man or woman, for starters.

 

Enjoy this post? Please share it!

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on EmailShare on Reddit

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Success, Loyalty, Retention, Professional Development Tagged With: collaboration, engineers, professional development

About Babette Ten Haken

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hire Babette to speak at your next conference or corporate meeting.

https://youtu.be/Yf-h80O_QZ4
Sign up to receive posts via email
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
SalesProCentral
Customer Experience Update

Categories

  • Collaboration And Convergence
  • Customer Experience, Success, Loyalty, Retention
  • Human Capital & Industrial IoT Workforce
  • Professional Development
  • Trending Book Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Recent Posts

  • Will Your Professional Core Capabilities Actually Limit Your Value?
  • If It Is Not Fun Then Why Keep Doing It?
  • 3 Blog Posts To Professionally Reboot Yourself
  • How Are You Investing Emotional Energy On Clients?
  • Are Your Clients Prioritizing Absolutely Everything?

Archives

Revenue-Generating Problem Solving | Professional Innovation | Collaborative Leadership | Keynotes, Workshops, Facilitation Learn more....

Contact Babette
Sign up to receive posts via email
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz

Recent Posts

Will Your Professional Core Capabilities Actually Limit Your Value?

If It Is Not Fun Then Why Keep Doing It?

3 Blog Posts To Professionally Reboot Yourself

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on Instagram

Privacy Policy

Change Catalyst | Revenue-Generating Problem Solving | Professional Innovation | Collaborative Leadership | Keynotes, Workshops, Facilitation
Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, All Rights Reserved 2022 ©
By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies