Five Ways to Stay Positive in Your Job

As the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Compass One Healthcare, I’ve learned that often being positive is all about your perspective and the people around you. While there will inevitably be challenges and tough situations, I’ve found that these five things can help you enjoy your job and your team every day.

See Challenges as Learning Opportunities

I’ve been in the healthcare industry for 30 years and have watched it zig and zag each year. Being a student of this evolving industry is one of the things that makes my job really fun though. From political administrations to hospital systems, it’s constantly changing — which means I’m constantly learning. We have to not only be thinking about the market today, but about the market three to five years from now. My team is always working to understand, assess, and come up with new solutions.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

You can always find superstar sellers, but without a team that has similar values and positive dispositions, it’s impossible to be high performing. I’ve had the joy of working with amazing people who feel like family — both in sales and operations. Their actions and behaviors reflect their knowledge that every position on the team must function well to score a touchdown. Interacting with these people is what gets me out of bed on Monday mornings.

Consider the Things for Which You’re Grateful

There are many things I’m grateful for in my role, but I’m especially thankful for the way our company is committed to providing operational excellence. It’s one thing for sales to be passionate about hitting a number, but none of that matters if the operational side isn’t excited about the growth. I’m grateful for the way this company’s leaders have invested in this business.

Appreciate the People Who Support You

Selling is a team sport. We have a cast of so many incredible subject matter experts who not only commit themselves to our current business, but who will jump on a plane to assist in our new sales opportunities. When it comes to selling, it’s those experts and the support teams throughout Compass who are the spokes that make the wheel roll. Knowing how many people have a vested interest in our success—and appreciating those people — helps me stay positive.

Keep Your Perspective

At times, things aren’t meeting your expectations, and that’s when you have to put things in perspective. Consider how this moment will feel three years from now. I also think life works in funny ways. Often, you face an unexpected hard situation and in the midst of it, you don’t know why. But months—or even years—down the road it dawns on you that you had to face that then to prepare yourself for this moment. Keep that perspective during your biggest challenges.