You can succeed by being comfortable in your own skin

Three women and the marathon

A few days ago my daughter, Jeanette ran in a women's 5K marathon with two of her husband's sisters. As she prepared for the run, she clicked a few pictures and sent them to me. Each woman looked great, in shape both physically and mentally they were ready to tax their bodies, to put to the test their coaching and training.

Our daughter has always been athletic and played sports in summer leagues and school. She has not always been comfortable in her own skin. Season to season, the only difference was which sport she would participate in and who her coach would be. Softball, soccer, basketball or volleyball she was coached and trained to perform the best she could using her talents and abilities.

One of the pictures Jeanette sent to us made me laugh. Her husband's sisters are very tall and their build is on the slender side. On the other hand, our daughter is shorter standing at five feet four inches. After giving birth to her fourth baby just six months ago she is working on toning her body and losing the "baby fat" as she calls it. This picture really drove home how different we all are, and yet we all make a contribution to succeed.

School sports, the coach and our daughter's differences

Even though she was of slight build, her trained muscles performed like a well-oiled machine. Because she used the vitamins we sold, her endurance outlasted those of the other players. Her coach noticed and gave her more playing time, which in turn allowed her skill to improve.

Each player brought her individual skill and strengths to the team effort. Each game saw those abilities and differences put to the test all for the chance of winning each game. At the end of the season, the coach watched as individual girls who trained and worked together as a single unit won the league championship.

The championship team, like my daughter and her sisters-in-law, was different. Tall ones, short ones, thin and not so thin, all brought what they possessed to the game for the good of the team. Combined, those differences made up a complete whole that rocked the league that year. Years later, our daughter is comfortable in her own skin because her coach helped her train to excel and be her best.

As for the marathon, my daughter ran a few days ago; short legs or her sisters-n-laws long limbs did not matter, all three women finished the race side by side. The only difference that day was Jeanette took many more steps than the other girls did, but she finished holding her head high using the finely coached and trained body she lives in.

Sports, business and being me

I could not help but think about how each of us is so unique, all competing in the business world for our piece of the action. How do we succeed while being comfortable in our own skin?

When our auto transport business opened its doors back in 2005, it quickly became evident that we needed to do something to set ourselves apart. Hundreds of other auto transport brokers were competing for the same business and customers we were giving free quotes. Why would a customer want to do business with me? If I were in their shoes what would make me do business with me.

It did not take long to figure this out. By listening to our customers, those potential car shippers told us how we were different. Simply by being "me" I won them over. What does that mean?

  • When answering the phone you can tell if someone likes what he or she is doing. Happily, with a smile on my face, answering in a professional manner gives the caller a sense of security.
  • If they asked a question, I did not know the answer to I never faked it. Telling the truth, I would call them back after doing my homework to find the right answer. If a problem arose, dealing with it promptly helped diffuse angry customers.
  • When an owner-operator requested more money for the transport, being willing to share my piece of the pie helped build trust and relationships with them. The old adage of "you scratch my back and I will scratch yours" has paid off over the years with being able to ship a car when others have a three week wait.

There you have it. This is how we were able to succeed while being comfortable in our own skin. By using the God given talents I was born with, people connected with me. So, if you want to succeed in business as in life, get comfortable in your own skin.

Join us won't you? We need your help to spread the word about these lessons. If you have learned anything at all from our story, send a tweet to your Twitter friends; drop a short post to your Facebook friends. You can bet they will enjoy and learn right beside you

 

Here to Serve,

Carla J Gardiner

Head shot 3scarf cropped 150x150 Weekend Trip Ends At Beach AccessCarla J Gardiner is an ex-banker turned entrepreneur who built an auto transport brokerage and dispatch center from the ground up. With half a days training and little else Carla learned the business inside and out the hard way…by doing it. Her passion and purpose lies with the people she works with daily; the client, dispatcher, broker and truck driver. Her frustration within the industry has birthed a new division of her company; one to properly train, encourage and mentor other professionals in auto transport.
 
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