Are you "Snapped in" to Anything?

Are you “Snapped In?”

Recently I asked a project manager to set up a morning meeting with our project team. Our PM, David, is a Marine Lieutenant just back to work after a Marine Reserve tour of duty in Iraq.He picked a 9 AM start time instead of straight up at 8 AM. He said he wanted to make sure that all the participants got “snapped in” for the day before we did held our meeting.

Snapped in? Hmmm…I was thinking maybe the context of the situation would give me the definition. You know, like “snap out of it” or “I need my morning coffee to ‘snap to’” – something like that. Still, I had to ask.

David told me that it is part of military training. Soldiers practice each and every part of their stance with their weapons (without ammunition) so that they get comfortable with whatever stance they need to take to be most effective. For example, they stand, then get into their prone position with their weapon poised correctly…and do it over and over again so that when they need to get to that position for real, they can get “snapped in” correctly and quickly…without a second thought.

So I wondered what things I am “snapped in” to. I thought of basic routine things: making the coffee, taking a shower, driving to work, doing my email…and then I realized that routines aren’t the same as being “snapped in.”

“Snapped in” is an important concept in the military. It’s not routine, it’s special – like athletes who practice and practice until they get it right. It’s not just “practice makes perfect” – it’s “perfect practice makes perfect.” I have a picture of the Olympic divers, the high and long jumpers, you know, those for whom precision is everything.

As a salesperson, I have many things I am very good at: cold calling, customer service, follow-up, accurate paperwork, closing…etc. But of all of those things, I feel the only skill I was ever really “snapped in” to was cold calling/prospecting. My first sales manager was big on routines and she taught me that no matter what else was going on – sales in the making, cancellations to cover, etc., that my time devoted to cold calling wasn’t an option – it was a lifeline.

And she coached me on the process and techniques until I was “snapped in” and well on my way. So, I’m not here to preach, but just to ask: Are you “snapped in” to anything? And, could getting “snapped in” to something help you build your business? I think so.

And the fact that the military folks gain confidence in themselves AND their unit through their “snapped in” drills…well, that will probably happen to you too.