Focus for People Who Move Fast

On this episode of Finding Focus, Gated’s CMO Melissa Moody sat down with Talent Strategy Transformation Evangelist at Circa, Dr. Jim Kanichirayil. The two fast-paced leaders talk about how people who like to move fast and network nonstop find focus in this increasingly distracted world.  The conversation covers topics including: 

• The importance of thinking of your customer as the hero of the story.
• The real meaning of the phrase 'master of none'
• Perspective from two people who like to run fast and enjoy the energy they get from lots of networking
• How you can spot when you are losing focus (hint: it's the opposite of what you might expect)
• A big discovery by Jim that results in him restructuring his entire day!
• Jim's favorite tools for scale and saving time

And shout-outs for the following: 

• Jim's Cascading Leadership podcast
• Alex Paul as an inspiration for Jim's sales approach
• The Pomodoro timer
• Gong
• Marketing content gurus including Nick Bennett and Evan Patterson
• Steve Watt - Director of Marketing at Seismic
• and Louis Grenier's excellent podcast: Everyone Hate Marketers

You can read the full transcript of the episode below, and catch the entire episode on Spotify, Apple, or Youtube.  

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SUMMARY: 

Jim Kanichirayil is an Talent Strategy Transformation Evangelist, and he works for an organization called Circa. His focus is on helping organizations find diverse talent, keeping them compliant, and helping them retain that talent. He is also part of the channel partnership team. In addition to his work with Circa, he is also a podcast guru.Jim Kanichirayil talks about the importance of networking and building relationships in order to advance the things that everybody cares about. He also discusses how he uses conversation as a way to connect with people and build relationships.

Jim Kanichirayil and Melissa Moody discuss the importance of focusing on relationships instead of transactions in order to build customers for life. Jim Kanichirayil shares his philosophy that sellers are not the hero in the story, but merely a McGuffin, and that the person they are trying to understand is the real hero. Melissa Moody challenges Jim on how he manages to focus on so many people and still maintain deep relationships with them. Jim Kanichirayil explains that he thrives on connections and puts himself out there emotionally in order to build strong relationships.Jim Kanichirayil discusses how he maintains a sense of self and sanity amidst a chaotic work schedule. He attributes his success to his ability to be a jack of all trades and to his discipline.

TIMESTAMPS

00:03:00   The Power of Conversation in Business: Jim Kanichirayil on Building Relationships and Advancing Causes

00:05:00   The Power of Focusing on Relationships

00:10:00   How to Maintain a Sense of Self and Sanity in Your Day

00:12:00   The Importance of Focus in the Workplace

00:14:00   The Different Types of Activities That I Do to Make Sure That I Don't Fall Into the Trap of Just Doing the Things That I Like to Do

00:18:00   The Benefits of Automating Administrative Tasks

00:20:00   The Benefits of Automation in Business

00:24:00   The Benefits of Automation for Podcasters

00:26:00   The Driving Factor Behind My Success

00:28:00   The Power of Pacing and Cadence in Marketing

00:32:00   The Power of Focus: How to Use LinkedIn to Achieve Your Goals

00:34:00   The Power of Asking the Right Questions: A Conversation with Jay Shetty

00:35:00   Dr. Jim Kanichirayil on the Importance of Focusing on Family

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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• What is it that you can talk about that educates and, and inspires the world to move to you? And then focus on those things that give you energy and allow you to do that.
• Steve Watt, who is the director of marketing at Seismic asks this question when he's talking to sellers: How are you as a seller educating and inspiring the world to move to you?