Young professionals in La Porte eagerly logged on to a Zoom meeting hosted by La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership (LEAP) on Thursday night where GreatNews.Life Founder Chris Mahlmann was ready to talk all about connections, comfort zones, and crafting your story.
Joined by LEAP Executive Director Bert Cook and LEAP’s La Porte Young Professionals representatives including Staff Coordinator Lindsay Jongkind, Committee Chair Kurtis Iseminger, and Carrie Campbell of Hatfield Pest Control, Mahlmann discussed many ideas that attendees were able to learn from as they work to improve their networks and excel in their professional groups.
Some of the most prominent takeaways from this second installment of the Building Your Brand Series, titled Knowing Your People, included having the courage to introduce yourself, knowing how to combine your personal and professional life into your story, and most importantly, getting out of your comfort zone to take a step in the right direction toward your future.
Mahlmann began by emphasizing how, as a former newbie to the Region, he learned first-hand that establishing a business requires individuals in your circle who support you, give you new connections, and point you toward opportunities fit for you. These people make all the difference and set you apart from others who are not willing to ask for help or establish meaningful, professional relationships.
Oftentimes, connecting to the individuals who are already aware of you and asking them to direct you towards the person or company you are looking to work with to help you grow is a great way to take that first step.
“If you’re in a young leader program, my guess is that you’re trying to grow who you are and find who can influence you,” said Mahlmann. “Your best idea is to figure out who you want to know directly, and then find who can help you to get to know that person indirectly.”
Bert Cook added how taking that step of introducing yourself can present a scary-looking hurdle that we may not be comfortable with at first, but taking the leap will distinguish you from others and ultimately help you achieve your goal.
“When you talk to them, it’s a hurdle, I think we’d all admit,” said Cook. “Getting over the insecurity or apprehension of putting yourself out there, reaching out to people, and asking for things or connections is important, but can be a challenge.”
One of the more obvious, yet most impactful steps that you can take to transition yourself from wherever you are now to where you want to be, whether that be in management, leadership, or ownership, is to act on the situation in front of you rather than waste time worrying about rejection.
For Mahlmann, having the mindset of understanding every possible way a situation could go south will always have you leaving that situation feeling like you won. Why? Because the worst thing that can happen is that you tried and failed. Becoming comfortable with that trial and error will not only develop you into someone who can more easily converse and connect, but will also force you to take a lesson away, learn from it, and do better the next time.
“The guy or the gal that you want to talk to is right there, and you could just take a deep breath, introduce yourself, and ask for a few minutes of their time,” said Mahlmann. “What is the worst that could happen? I think you should laugh your rear end off about the worst thing that could happen, and then when the worst thing doesn’t happen, you are way more happy with whatever the outcome may be, mostly because you stepped out of your comfort zone and did it.”
Regardless of how a situation plays out, each time you find the courage to step out of your comfort zone is an opportunity for growth and development, ultimately inching yourself closer to where you want to be.
Another point of focus throughout the discussion was the balance of your personal and professional life. Rather than trying to separate the two, Mahlmann explained how it’s best to accept that the two will often become intertwined. Being comfortable with the line between the two being blurred at times may help you better understand your professional life, and may even encourage you to act in ways in your personal life that reflect how or where you wish to be in your professional life.
“Your personal and professional life are going to blend together at some point, so if you want this professional position, you need to prepare for that in your personal life,” said Mahlmann.
On top of that, developing your own story is crucial as you prepare for introducing yourself. Almost like an elevator pitch, understanding how to convey who you are and who you are working to be to the most important person you may encounter is exactly what a young professional should aim to do.
“Your story is two things; professionally who you are and personally who you are,” Mahlmann said. “Write a clear picture in your mind of where you want yourself to be in five years. It could be a promotion, a manager, or even running the place. Whatever it is, have it prepared. Think about it, write it down, and be really confident about it. If you meet the person who’s going to connect you to your next stage in public, you really want to be prepared to share exactly what your goal is, who you are, and why you want it.”
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges in the workplace, it is important to not forget that each year is going to present both personal and professional barriers that you have to learn to work around.
As an aspiring leader, you may have found the pandemic and its hurdles that began in 2020 and continue into 2021 have prevented you from reaching your goals on time. However, leaders like Mahlmann wanted to offer the reminder that hurdles are not there to break our stride, but rather to challenge us to alter that stride to fit the scenario in front of us.
“The whole point is you learn. You could say, ‘Well, because of COVID-19. I just can’t meet anybody anymore,’ or you could say, ‘Because of COVID-19, I have to meet people in a completely different way, so I just have to be creative about the way,’” Mahlmann said.
With a myriad of lessons and advice being thrown around, Iseminger was able to summarize the ideas with one inspirational phrase that motivates him as a leader in his field.
“It reminds me of a saying that says how successful people are the people who are willing to do consistently what unsuccessful people avoid because it’s uncomfortable,” said Iseminger.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is the pathway to success, growth, learning, and becoming a better individual in both your personal and professional spheres. If there is one thing these young professionals took away from Thursday’s candid discussion, it was to have the courage to take the opportunities in front of you, because the feeling of a missed chance is far worse than the feeling of rejection from trying something new.
“If you’ve got a boss who wants to develop you, gravitate towards that person. If you’ve got somebody higher up the chain who wants to develop you, gravitate towards that person,” said Mahlmann. “Be around people that you want to be like. Don’t just stick around the people you’re around and don’t stay around people that just make you comfortable. There’s nothing you’re ever going to do, reach to, or aspire to if you’re only around people who make you comfortable.”
Iseminger emphasized how discussions like these are made possible because of LEAP’s commitment to bettering the up-and-coming professionals in its communities.
“Thank you very much Chris, that was fantastic, a good conversation,” said Iseminger. “And thank you as well to Bert Cook and Mike Riehle and Lindsey Jongkind at LEAP for allowing us to put this on and get started.”
To become involved or participate in the Build Your Personal Brand series through La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, head to the La Porte Young Professionals committee page here, and be sure to stay tuned for the third installment of the series, titled Leaving a Legacy, happening on April 15.