Better Together

Along with a majority of folks, I underwent sober January, though this may be a type of “buzzword” that people are sick of hearing, it provided me incredible value. Not to brag, but I also eliminated sugar in Jan – no big deal/humble brag.

What I gained from my clean month was a sense of clarity. My mind was razor sharp, my sleep was impeccable, and I was streamlined in everything - from sales, to family, to friendships – all of which relate to my topic for this month’s post - community.

What we all went through in the past two years with regards to the pandemic (some still dealing with this more than others depending on where you live) entirely disrupted our lives. In more ways than one this impacted everyone, but the biggest impact to me personally, was being forced to stay inside and away from others. Now, I certainly didn’t follow this to a T, but at times I had no choice. There was, quite literally, nowhere to go. My friends and I couldn’t go to our favorite bar, my family couldn’t go on our annual vacation together, I wasn’t able to participate in “water cooler talk”, nor go through the gauntlet of a sales pit.

Being away from the people I love most was excruciating to me, I need people in my life, especially close family, and friends. I love people (hints the reason I’m in sales), I love getting people together, sharing stories, and laughing. This was something we lost over the past two years and something I make a point to revitalize every chance I get.

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” – Mahatma Gandhi

One thing I gained from my clean month was a reinforcement of how much I love my friends and family, and my job. We all need reminders, time to time, of what’s important, and community is one of my top values. Being able to call a friend and talk through difficult times, check in on a family member, or text a fellow rep to see how the day’s going – is something I value. I enjoy conversation, learning and hearing about other people’s experiences, and what this boils down to, in my mind, is community.

Without community, we are alone. Being alone is one of the worst punishments you can be given, i.e., “The Hole”. Community embraces conversation, emotions, and creates long-lasting friendships. It gives meaning to life; it provides value that cannot be bought. You cannot “pay your way” into a community, it builds organically and lasts if the members participate and embrace the community values.

To correlate this to sales, at Nexum I work in the Partner Community. In the partner-world we’re maintaining several relationships at the same time, customers, distributors, vendors, and coworkers; this is our community. One of the reasons the partner channel was initially created to assist in the ever-growing technology industry. This allowed for a new community to be created, it’s entirely a relationship-based community, where people help one-another. One of the reasons sales is the best jobs out there is the fact that I get to be a part of an entirely new (and previously unknown) community. In a little over a year I’ve already made new friendships that I know will last a lifetime, long past my selling days.

Life boils down to being a part of something you enjoy, something you live for, thrive for, that supports your values and allows you to constantly be a part of something bigger than yourself.

-Tanner Warner