Over the course of the last year, we have been forced to learn new ways of doing business; and conferences have been one of the biggest adjustments. As someone who prides herself on continual growth and learning, preaching the necessity to adapt and survive has been relatively natural for me.
However, I am currently in the middle of a book that's been sitting on my desk for (embarrassingly) 4 years and it has helped me realize that just because things have "been going well" for the last couple of years (including this year of adjustment/adapting), there are still changes I need to make to get to wherever the next stage of career success is for me.
OK- not trying to make this article about me.... so what is the point? The point is that even though those of you reading this e-publication are likely very successful in our profession and leaders in your workplace - there are changes you very likely need to make to get to the next level as well!
So now let's bring this to the exhibitor perspective.....
As we embark on getting back to on-site shows, what worked pre-pandemic may not work in the post-pandemic exhibitor hall.
The book I'm referring to is called, "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith. While I'm not finished with the text quite yet, I'm finding that the bulk of self-discovery is going through what Goldsmith calls "The Twenty Habits that Hold You Back from The Top."
The habit that most resonated with me.... and that could be most relevant in terms of exhibitor habits was this: "An Excessive Need to Be Me."
The gist of this habit is that we continue to do the things we do (even if we know they may be flaws) because that's just who I am... and for better or worse I'm proud of it. And who knows? Maybe it's part of the reason why I am successful.
I'm not going to get into the flaws of mine that I just straight-up own and haven't taken the time to change, because I'd rather focus on this question for YOU....
What are the elements of your tradeshow process that you are pretty certain are flawed, but you just keep doing them over and over and over again because as far as you know, they haven't had a major negative impact on your tradeshow success?
Just because you don't see a blatant negative impact, doesn't mean that it's not keeping your tradeshow successes from getting to the next level. Sometimes it's not about what you're not losing.... it's about what you're not gaining.
So I challenge each of you to take the question seriously and to step up to the plate to get out of your own stubborn ways. Make the changes you've been putting off or just simply been ignoring.
This has only been a year of change. Accept that we need to change ourselves in order to get to the next level. To circle back to the fact that this last year has flipped us all on our ends, the concept of "What Got You Here Won't Get You There," has never rang more true.
-SARAH
