Being A Catalyst
You may not realize my background although it is in my bio or profile. My major in college was Biology. As a non-traditional college student (I was the product of several unfortunate circumstances at age 36 with 2, 4, and 5-year-old children going to college) which was far different than the traditional 17, 18, or 19-year-old high school graduating student. I started first with the local college - Carroll Community College - made it to the Dean's List and began my focus on biology at the then Western Maryland College. My father, estranged from our family since I was 14, attended the graduation ceremonies. I was the first in my immediate family to go to college. My father explained, an unknown fact to me, my aunt and uncle met at that college and later moved to Chicago.
Through those two colleges, I attended lab classes in conjunction with the lectures where we used an agent in a chemical solution to increase the speed of a chemical reaction known as a catalyst. We also discovered heat or wind increased our results much like the sun and the wind in a natural environment and combined, the result was even faster. We would use a heat lamp and a blow dryer to simulate the natural catalysts. These were measurable outcomes in biology and chemistry. We measured them with time, temperature, or heat.
I am certain you have been in a situation where you needed help - not necessarily monetary - and felt the emotional rush, satisfaction, or even a sense of relief from someone else's help. From that experience whether great or small, you understand the significance of a positive outcome.
Being mindful of others as you meet them or when speaking over the phone can open an opportunity for them and you. Listen. Are they speaking in an upset tone? When you see them do they display a sad or drained expression as if they have not slept well? Or, are they expressing concerns about the economic markets, interest rates, or other stressors we face today? You may receive a text or email from them or see a media post that generates a red flag. They need a change. A different perspective perhaps.
In business, you can be the catalyst to help someone achieve faster results. Sometimes, observing someone's body language or facial expressions will give you an indication of need without a spoken word. Your response in a few words, a gesture, or a reference to help a retail owner carrying an overabundance of stock on the shelf can help promote quicker sales. Or, you may need to give a more direct approach while being careful not to 'fix' their problem. Trying to 'fix' another person can be mistakenly viewed as too much by the recipient creating a distance between you and them or a feeling of defeat.
Our human emotions, our caring for others, and our connection to others are human traits that allow us to become that single catalyst to propel others for a faster outcome or solution to a current problem. Generate some energy and be a catalyst!