Not too long ago and not too long from now someone has told you and will tell you that you couldn't do and can't do something because . . . you have never done it before.

Since you've been told this and will be told it again, perhaps you've been tempted and will be tempted to believe it.  Yeah.  That wasn't, isn't and never will be a good idea.

Mainly, because your experience is not a particularly good predictor of your abilities.

Think about this:  Until you've done something, you've never done it before.  If the qualification for getting a chance to do it is to have done it. . . well, the circularity of it all is obvious. 

Before she became a worldwide sensation, Susan Boyle had never sung in front of an audience.

"Oh, Tim", you are saying, "that is a silly example.  Of course, previous experience matters - even if it doesn't matter for entertainers."

I disagree.  I've known dozens of experienced media sellers who are below average sellers but who manage to get hired by unwitting sales managers who are dazzled by their doctored resumes.  Conversely, we all know people who are brand new to an industry and tear it up from day one.  We may see it in sports most clearly.  Isn't the minor league baseballer who has played for eight teams in nine years the best choice to bring up to the majors?  We all agree that he is not despite his experience.

Yet, sales managers routinely seek out vast and specific amounts of experience in their new hires.  Why? 

"Experience" is a shield that hiring managers hide behind when they don't know how to evaluate talent. 

If a hiring manager chooses someone who has done the same job for someone else and it doesn't work out - they can at least say that they hired someone who should have been successful because of his experience. 

I know a hiring manager who recently told a job candidate that his requirements included:  experience in the market; experience in working for the hiring company and work history in a similarly titled position.  About the only person who would fit that description would be a former employee who went to the competition for a promotion and is now willing to come back. 

The way most media sales managers hire people is akin to washing one's laundry in water that never drains.

In a company I used to work for, sales manager candidates were routinely dismissed from consideration because they did not have experience in selling a particular radio format!  That means if the job for which you were applying was with a Soft Rock station and you had worked at Country, Oldies, News/Talk and CHR stations, you weren't quite qualified because you didn't have the requisite experience.

I know great sellers who weren't considered for jobs because they didn't have "big market" experience; "sports sales' experience; "urban" experience; "big rate" experience; "cable tv" experience and I'm sure that if someone from the west coast had applied they would have been turned down for not having "east of the Mississippi" experience.

Experience is not the requisite for which one should be looking.  The key to a good hire is sales talent and "transferable skills".  When you create your next job description, figure out which talents and skills you need and then consider qualified candidates with a wide variety of experience.

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The worst celebration in football is the one in which a defender stops a running back in the backfield and then leaps to his feet and high steps down field 30 yards - slapping himself on the head and chest as his teammates try to catch up to congratulate him.

The best celebration in football is when the quarterback chases his receiver 70 yards down the field, arms raised the whole time, and then leaps onto his head and shoulders in exultation when he finally catches up in the endzone.

The first "celebration" is all about the individual and smacks of egoism and selfishness while the second is the epitomy of teamwork and generosity of spirit. 

I think of this sometimes when I hear of a seller who has just made a big sale.  Wouldn't it be cool if the first move that seller made was to publicly thank the sales assistant who helped her with the research or the promotions director who executed the brilliant idea?

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Each of us has little trouble identifying the best boss we ever had.  But, when pressed to explain what made that person so effective we struggle for a complete understanding of exactly how they inspired and motivated us.

The best boss I ever had did something that sounds so easy but has yet to be repeated by any of my other bosses.  Here's an example of how he got the most out of me:

I had just come in from making sales calls.  Each of them shared the distincition of being varyingly unsuccessful.  As I walked down the long hall from reception to the sales floor, I hear from behind:

"Hey, Timmy!"

I turn to see Dick leaning out of his office.  His head is in the hall and the doorjamb has cut his torso diagonally so that I see a third of his body.  His shoes remain a mystery.

"Hi, Dick", I say with modest enthusiasm.  I wasn't sure when Dick first started calling me "Timmy" but despite insisting that my parents introduce me to their friends as "Tim" starting on my eighteenth birthday - I was okay with it.

"Come here, I want to show you something."

I saunter towards Dick's office as his head withdraws.  Despite my desire to trudge, I feel my pace picking up.  Dick was enthusiastic about something and while I wouldn't say I had caught it, there was no denying its effect.

As I entered Dick's office, I saw him spreading out poster sized paper filled with what looked like colorful advertisements on his desk.

"Check this out.  I want to get your opinion," Dick declared as he gestured to the paper.

I leaned over the desk from my side - hands planted to support my weight as Dick did the same from his side - two business-suited linebackers squaring off.  

Dick explained, "We are doing a promotion on Magic 96 and we're giving away $96,000!  These are the layouts of the direct mail piece we are planning to send to over 200,000 residents.  Since you have some experience in advertising, I wanted to show you what we had come up and see how you like it."

I've got to tell you that our business is built on hyperbole and I was used to people blowing smoke up my.  .  . well, you know.  But, did I think Dick was sincerely interested in my opinion?  You bet!  I spent the next ten minutes poring over the design, layout and content of the direct mail.  In the end, I had a couple of comments which Dick duly noted on a pad of paper.

As I left Dick's office, I was flying high!  Not only was the station going to execute a terrific fourth quarter campaign to pump up the ratings but Dick valued my opinion about an incredibly important project!  Being a part of the company's strategic vision and being recognized as a valuable member of the team made me feel great. 

Dick Harlow was the master at that and if you are in a position of leadership, I hope you'll learn from his example.