Many London Business School students and listeners of my Stacy Havener interview know I enjoy teaching, and if I were lecturing today, I’d say,
“Be increasingly creative and resilient in this competitive world”
Let me explain
Almost daily I receive LinkedIn messages like this:
“Hi, I’ve heard about Ranmore and I know you’re busy but would love to have coffee to learn some more. I’ve attached my CV for your interest. Regards”
And I usually think, “Great, but I’ve never seen your name, and if you want to learn about us, read my posts & like the ones that interest you, don’t hide in the shadows”.
I win, because I see what interests people
and you win, because you get your name out there
Now I love coffee and I love people, but I can’t spend all week in the coffee bars of London chatting to eager grads
But imagine if I got this message…
“Hi Sean, I’ve read many hashtag#numbersnotnarrative posts & listened to your podcast interviews. I see some food retailers in your Top 10 and I’ve watched your BizNews presentation on “hashtag#valueinvesting being the way to play AI” but I’ve researched one you don’t own and would love to share my thoughts over coffee. Best”
Do you think I’d find time for that coffee?
Absolutely!
Because:
1) our clients may benefit,
2) they’ve shown creativity and
3) they seem to, “Do more than expected” – surely the answer to great personal & business relationships
One rainy evening in 2009 there was a knock on my door where a young man from a former utility supplier asked for 5 mins to hear why I should rejoin them
It was raining heavily so I didn’t have the heart to send him packing
We spoke while completing the forms and he told me that investing was also his dream, and selling electricity was how he was funding his MBA and CFA studies
He said he’d call when he’d finished his dissertation and left with my CFA books and a business card
Six months later he emailed me
which I ignored, thinking it was spam – not that electricity company again!
He emailed me a week later
More spam?
But this young man wasn’t giving up
He called and asked for a 10min coffee where he offered to work for free, saying, “I just want the opportunity to learn”
That was 14 years ago and Hiren has been a key member of our Investment team ever since
Unfortunately, he no longer works for free … 😉
Hiren’s hashtag#creativity found an angle to get his foot in the door when the opportunity arose
and his hashtag#resilience beat the pile of unread CVs forwarded by recruiters
So if you’re looking for clients
or in the job market and don’t want your CV hidden in a “pile”
Be creative and find an “angle” that’s helpful to your “target”
But also be resilient because you’ll re-visit that “drawing board” many times!
In the words of Paulo Coelho from The Alchemist
“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
