When was the last time you tried something totally new? I love to experiment, myself. In some contexts. Trying a new restaurant? I’m in. Taking a new route to get to a familiar place? I’m all over it. Meeting new people? I can’t wait.
But when it comes to my work, it’s so much more comfortable to stick with the tried and true. To do the things I know I’m good at. To reap the rewards that come with excellence. And avoid the risk of mediocrity or, God forbid, out-and-out failure.
I’m afraid I’m not an early adopter. In fact, especially when it comes to technology, I lag way behind. I just started doing teleclasses last fall and the rest of the world has moved on to Google Hangouts and streaming videos. And webinars.
So here I am, hard at work on my first webinar. Well, my first webinar since 2004. I did a few of them back when I had a corporate training gig.
(Working at Bank One, I was just wrapping one up when this young guy crept out from behind the cubicle wall with a look of intense admiration. “I just have to tell you,” he said, “You have a great voice for webinars.” Like I said – he was a young guy who’d never heard me in the days when they said, “You have a great voice for radio.”)
Now there’s new technology to master. And the whole thing of coordinating slides with my “teaching points.” Which means my content has to be at least semi-scripted far enough in advance that the slides can be produced.
And then I have to actually do the webinar. And convert it into a video that will be offered as part of a big package of strategies from various experts. (You’ll hear more about that down the road.)
The point is, this venture into unfamiliar territory is not entirely comfortable. It is exciting. It’s about time I learned to do this. It’s a chance to work with some very talented people. And it’s still not entirely comfortable.
As your business grows, do you find yourself taking on new challenges? Or do you prefer to stick to what you’ve already mastered?
Me? I’m ready for the webinar (or I will be by the time I have to record it) and already starting to gear up for the next new thing. Whatever it turns out to be…
