When you reflect on your career and the wonderful people you’ve worked with, which coworkers were amazing? You undoubtedly have an extensive list but narrow it down to your top three. It’s tough but necessary work. Think about what makes these three stand out above the rest. Take time with this reflection and make a list of the characteristics that set them apart. Was it technical knowledge? Their intelligence? Was it their empathy or emotional intelligence? What was their secret sauce?
When you look across the list of characteristics, what do you notice? Do you see a trend? Their specific qualities may be different, I suspect what you value about them is their relationship skills. Being smart is important but the secret sauce is being able to navigate people successfully. How many of those relationship skills are transferable from being a great coworker to being an impactful MSL? If someone made a list about your skills, how would it compare? How do you rank yourself? What opportunities do you have to optimize your relationship skills to provide more impact as an MSL?
What are the most important relationship skills an MSL must demonstrate to practice the art of an MSL and to have impact?