Become Professor Hulk

SPOILER ALERT (If you haven't seen Avengers Endgame yet, minor spoilers ahead): Avengers Endgame gave us so many great moments to end Marvel's 3rd phase of their cinematic universe. Coincidentally, the current path of my career metaphorically intersected with concepts Endgame laid out. The Hulk's evolution story, specifically, spoke to me. From conflicted monster/scientist, to holistic being whom is now at peace with himself, was powerful for me as a sales engineer (SE).

So why the affinity to the Hulk? I've always been an Iron Man fan - no super powers except his intellect which he used to empower himself and others. Then there's the Hulk: He's infinitely strong when big and Green, or infinitely smart when human. There was never any in-between. During the Avenger timelines, he's mainly only served purposes that have been near-sighted: Need Hulk to smash? Ok. Need Banner to create an AI? Sure. Hulk was stuck between one of two modes. Yet, since Thor Ragnorok, Hulk's he finally decided to start and embrace his 'dual' sides, and it went full circle in Endgame. But why? And how the hell does this apply to technology sales?

Hulk Sad

As technology evolves, so do we. It's the new paradigm. The Hulk's exposure to gamma radiation led to his abilities, but also led to his segmented existence. Like the Hulk, as humans, we too use a Hulk-like method to make technology work for us when we're exposed to new tech:

UCLA neuroscientist Gary Small conducted a study of 24 people aged 55-plus, half of whom were “Net-savvy.” He had all of them conduct basic Web searches for information; MRI testing showed that the Netizens had twice as much neural activity as non-Netizens.

Whoa, right? And look, I'm not promoting technology as a savior, or a silver bullet for our moral, ethical, or human dilemmas, but it's definitely a factor. Like us, the Hulk was constantly trying to balance himself between two planes of existence, until one moment when his anger created an impasse where the Hulk took over Banner's mind for at least two Earth years (perhaps much longer on Sakaar). Yikes.

For us mortals, how often do we teeter between various states of being? Only then to finally succumb to a certain state we may not is our 'true' self? I can personally say that as I get older, the ability to be more mentally elastic hardens. I'm not as pliable. For instance, I'll use myself: Anything from super market looky-loos blocking the aisle, to bad search algorithms get me 'Green' :-). I've become less prone to respond scientifically and work through it, and more emotionally inclined to just get angry. This isn't a coincidence:

For each of us managing our emotions to assist our conscious evolution and successful aging is not compulsory. It is the result of a conscious struggle. Nature does not compel our inner personal growth in the same way that our  genes  compel aspects of our outer physical growth. The evolution of our emotional control is not a mechanical evolution but a sense of conscious and volitional evolution. In some ways managing our emotions requires the elements of virtue: honesty, patience, self-discipline and restraint. And we may need a framework to help us see through the barriers.

I would wager many people who not only use technology, but have made a career of it, can relate to this. Each day, we eat, sleep, breathe, and engage in screen time with the world around us... Wait, what? No seriously. Simple exercise: Think about the last time you went to bed without looking at your phone 10 min before falling asleep; 30 min.; 1 hour. I promise you'll cringe at the results. When did screen time become so fundamental? So inherent? Now as a technologist in sales, it's almost worse (check email, swipe to Slack, go to Reddit, check email...).

I had a mentor/manger (whom I still dearly love) mention to me sales is a 24/7 gig. You almost need to be 'on' at a moment's notice. Imagine the Hulk having to do that. Well, he did, and look what happened (lol):

I struggle to play both sides of this as well; am I a technology/customer-facing Mike, or a introverted/home-body Mike? It's a struggle. But, in the context of the Hulk versus Bruce Banner, I didn't see a path until I accepted the problem and decided the solution was a reckoning.

PROFESSOR HULK

Like any fundamental change, you must first start consciously deciding something must be done; you must accept the challenge. Bruce Banner understood the need, but also the extreme challenge merging himself into the Hulk would be. Most importantly it took time (and maybe the snap), to start the process.

Professor Hulk is the balance of the good and bad parts of both Bruce and the Hulk. The new reality is not necessarily about weeding out the differences, but accepting them; creating something larger than they were as individuals. In sales, I feel it's a very similar process: Take who you are at your core, combine that with that 'business-you', and create something new entirely.

So then, you admit it, a balance is needed. No what? Here's some helpful things I've found to start the 'great merge':

• Like Lists | Create a list of all the things you like/don't like personally, as well as like/don't like professionally. Add to it, remove from it, but keep it in front of you. For me, it's so easy to get lost in opinion.
• Meditate | Seriously, it's amazing. Here's my technique (borrowed from a friend): Pretend you've sunk to the bottom of the ocean. It's dark and quiet. Breathe in all the 'good' things/feelings you can visualize or feel, express all the negative/bad things as air bubbles that float up and away towards the surface, repeat.
• Say 'No' | This one is seriously tough for me. Here's something that's help me start this (though I'd say the end result is just saying 'no' and being comfortable with it): Say no with reason. You may never even get to express that reason, but using your internal echo chamber makes me feel better about saying it, which in turn makes it easier to just say no.
• Get Some Non-Tech Hobbies | I tried to find something tangible I could put in my hands (to replace my phone). This could be working out, yard work, volunteering, etc. Look forward to downtime without work.

And here are some things I still find problematic that keep the Hulk always looming:

• Emotional Intelligence-ing | I grew up between the Gen X/Millenial gap. Emotional intelligence in the US has only recently become a focus of human development holistically. I still struggle with the complexity and social pitfalls of being EQ focused.
• Technology Upkeep | Try, just try, to keep up on the latest news and trends. It's so difficult. More so when your career dictates your voice as a yard marker for decisions. Maybe focusing on specializing would help, or high-level concepts. It's tough
• Ego-Nav (navigating egos) | Maybe it's just me, but having to jump through someone's ego for the sake of jumping is exhausting. Admit when you don't know, fess-up when you're wrong, and look to solve things. To be able to diffuse and align to egos is the key. Maybe champion building (directing an ego towards a goal where they benefit), is a possibility.

WHEN THE BATTLE ENDS

In the end, nothing is permanent. Banner and the Hulk will always be at odds with each other; we'll always be fighting for who we are and what we're becoming. The key is to always keep it in front of us:

"Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it." -Winston Churchill

The power behind this saying isn't in the events of the history itself, but the lessons and experience used after said events. This then becomes a daily task of effort, failures, and successes only we ourselves are accountable for. Only when we decide as individuals to become our best person will we start the journey as both Banner and the Hulk.

As a sales engineer, going full 'green guy' is always in my purview, and it's up to me to control.