Are you organizationally challenged? Get a friend in your office to give you a hand!
Postal clerks sorting the mail, 1890. National Postal Museum.

I freely admit it. I am organizationally challenged. I am NOT unorganized. OK, I am, but the politically correct term is that I am “organizationally challenged.” Last week I shared some ideas on how you in media sales can find your strong suits so that you can maximize what you do best. Now let’s look at how to find what “challenges” you – blunt meaning: what you don’t do as well. Even more blunt: your weaknesses.

• What things do you keep putting off? Figure out what things you dread to do. If you had a personal media sales assistant, what things would you want them to do for you? Think about what you have to make yourself do, or schedule time so you will force yourself to get it done. Those things are your “challenges.”
• Ask your coworkers and family. Ask your BFFs for some honesty. You have already heard what you do well; now is the time for the truth about what you don’t do so well. You probably already know what they are going to say, so don’t get defensive (no one is great at everything). Laugh at yourself and get a better understanding of how others see you.

Now you know the good, the bad, and the ugly about yourself as a media seller. You have already asked your manager to help provide you with opportunities to do more of what you are good at. It must be understood that you will never be great at everything. So how do you do damage control, given that you have a few “challenges?”

• Make a plan. If you are organizationally challenged, resolve to clean off your desk before you go home once a week, or utilize a CRM system to make yourself more efficient. If you are relationship challenged, set aside time to get to know your clients and co-workers better. If you are not a natural leader, be a great soldier and occasionally step up on projects that you are passionate about. If you don’t have as much of a business mind, get some education so you can better understand. Find ways to become competent.
• Use your CRM system to set reminders and pay attention to alerts. Make time to organize, work on relationships with your clients, or learn about the business. You don’t have to be the best, but you don’t want a “challenge” that is part of your make-up to be your downfall. Use your CRM tools to remind you. They are there to make you better.
• Utilize your team. Perhaps someone on your media sales team needs help writing proposals, which is one of your strengths. They may be great at coming up with problem-solving ideas, whereas you are “creatively challenged.”  Use the strengths of others on your team to balance your shortfalls, and be mindful of sharing your strengths in return.

I can laugh at my organizational challenges because I take pride in the fact that my supervisors have commented that they were surprised to know that I am challenged in this area. This is because I have found ways to use my strengths to my – and my company’s – advantage while finding ways to keep my challenges from dragging me down. Use your tools and the people around you for honest self-analysis and make plans to soar and to overcome your “challenges.”

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Planning challenged? This calendar will jump-start all your creative ideas!