Do you have the right tools?

Last week was a big week in quarantine land. My 82-day Instant Pot challenge came to a close.

In some unlucky (or lucky) timing, a gas leak was discovered in our building and gas was shut off several weeks before New York City was shut down. 

While I was slightly grumpy about this circumstance before quarantine, I was a lot grumpy about it when we were ordered to shelter in place.

While other people were baking sourdough, cookies and muffins, we were cooking dinner in teeny tiny batches in our toaster oven and getting more and more creative with our Instant Pot.

Oatmeal, yogurt, soups, stews, tacos, pasta, beets, salad (#kidding on that last one) – if it needed to be cooked and didn't fit in the toaster, it went in the Instant pot.

This single appliance cooked nearly 100 meals in the last 3 months and I feel confident we got our money’s worth.

It's more efficient than a hotplate, larger than a toaster oven, and now that we’re back to an oven and 4-burner stover, I can definitively say that having the right tools makes all the difference.

The same goes for investing in yourself. You might at the outset wonder if it’s worth investing time or money in taking a class or hiring a professional.

You might wonder if it’s going to work.

What I've learned is that things go quicker and smoother when you have the right tools. Professional guidance and feedback, templates and processes, make life easier.

Communication skills are your workhorse appliance, they're the Instant pot of your kitchen tools. You will use them again and again, in this job, in future jobs, in looking for jobs, and in business ventures,

Warren Buffet said:

"If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get your ideas across, you’re giving up your potential."

Do you want to craft clear and compelling messaging that gets your clients and teammates to take decisive action?

Here are 3 ways I can help:

1. Want to crush your next work presentation, business pitch, or interview? Join us on 5/20 to craft clear and compelling messaging Create an Engaging Presentation Chock Full of Personality

2. Want more tools to navigating challenging client and team conversations? Join us on 5/13 for a virtual workshop: The Magic of Empathy: Communicating in Crisis

3. Want to create your signature talk, multiply your confidence and lead through change? Let’s work together one on one. Reach out to me at madeline@madelineschwarz.com   

But whatever you do, make sure you have the right tools.