pay the elevator guy

Last week, we hosted a headshots and hangout party for the Growclass crew. It was dope, but this newsletter isn’t about that; it’s about something that happened right before the party.

The venue had one of those elevators you’d hesitate to get into. You know, the kind where you can see the beams pass below as you rise while you hope you're not headed to an early demise.

This particular elevator required a whole human to operate it. At some point in our setup, Kirsti, who was running the event, got wind of the elevator guy's schedule to leave before the event ended.

She didn’t run to me to ask what to do. She simply offered to pay him to stay and told me about it later.

She solved the problem before even telling me there was a problem. A dream.

It reminded me of this little trick I use for our Growclass students. It’s a way to widen out your aperture at work and see opportunities you might miss otherwise. It’s a simple shift, but that doesn’t mean it’s a small one.

Here it is: empathy.

I know you’re thinking: GROUNDBREAKING stuff over here, Sarah. Thanks for stating the obvious.

But stay with me for a sec—as a marketer, you empathize all the time with your customers, audience, and co-workers but not as often with your manager (or for freelancer friends, your clients).

Your manager is a person with stressors, targets, perhaps a teething toddler, and a lot of people bringing them problems.

How can you learn more about their work experience and their experience managing you? The more you understand their needs, the better you can get what you need.

Pay the elevator guy.

Your leaders have their own set of challenges, metrics, and hard-to-hit targets. They’re accountable for outcomes you might not even know about.

Listen, ask thoughtful questions, and seek to understand their goals and motivations. Anticipate their objections to your proposals and decide how to handle them beforehand. Frame your campaign ideas through a lens that also makes sense to what they are trying to accomplish.

Just like we do in marketing.

Then, when you can, solve problems before you escalate them.

Pay the elevator guy.

Now, you just seem to “get it.”

Now you’re up for the promotion.

Now you’re the leader.

‍