To Get What You Want, Say What You Want

To paraphrase a bit, a professional recently wrote me to say that he was capable of being a VP, but that he was happy in his job, but he didn’t do such a good job of representing himself, but he was proud of his accomplishments, but he thought he should probably improve his skills, and what did I think?

I think he should have written: can you help me become a VP this year?

To get what you want, you have to be coherent, both inside and out.

This means you have to be clear, simple and focused in how you communicate with others. It also means you have to be clear, simple and focused in how you think. If one day you want to be VP, and the next you aren’t sure that you want to work harder or travel more, then you will never be a VP.

Perhaps you don’t want to be a VP. That’s ok— but to get what you want, you need to know what you want.

Once you decide what you want, stick with it

Wake up every day with your goal in mind. Simplify your language so that you can hold your goal in your mind and be prepared to share it with others. Be ready to deliver your elevator pitch whenever appropriate. As you probably know, an elevator pitch is the 20-second pitch an entrepreneur would make if s/he ever ended up in an elevator with, say, a top VC.

Your elevator pitch is what you will say to whomever has the potential to help you get what you want: a colleague, friend, neighbor or potential employer.

Depending on your circumstances, you may want to change your social media profiles, email signature or even resume to reflect your goals. Above all else, be clear and focused: if a change helps you move in the right direction, make it. If not, don’t.

Make it easy for other people to help you

More than half the people I meet are hard to help. They share a sort of “stream of consciousness” slice of their feelings, emotions, experiences and ideas. I’m often left wondering whether the other person wants to be a magician or a doctor. In a perfect world, I would have days and days to get to know what’s in that person’s heart. But in the real world, I may only have a few minutes.

Once a young man wrote to say he wanted to be a doctor, but that he had been sidelined by financial and personal issues. He seemed more focused on those problems than on his goal of being a doctor. That’s understandable, but if your goal is to be a doctor, focus all your energies on that goal, so that any problems or obstacles pale in comparison.

I know this may sound trite, but this is how successful people operate. They know what they want, and they focus on that goal. The goal grows and grows until it blocks out most other things. They see the result in their mind, so clearly that they can describe it in powerful terms to others. At that point, it becomes exceptionally easy for other people to help.

It is human nature to want to join a winning team. When we sense that a person has fire in his or her belly and is destined to succeed, we want to help out.

If you want help envisioning what you want, watch this:

Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter for entrepreneurs. Learn more at Kasanoff.com. He is the author of How to Self-Promote without Being a Jerk, which highlights the power of helping others before you help yourself.

An earlier version of this article previously appeared on Forbes.