Don’t Sell Your Work 

The best lesson I’ve ever learned about presenting has nothing to do with the content of your work, but about the mindset you bring to the presentation. (Credit for the knowledge goes to Simon Sinek)  

Most of us go into presentations with what Sinek calls a “taker’s mindset.” 

“We have to sell this work!” 

But here’s the thing. People are smart. 

We can smell a sales pitch from zip codes away. 

And as soon as we catch the slightest whiff of someone trying to sell us on something, we are immediately skeptical. The person is no longer a trusted partner. They’re out to get something from us. They’ve got used car salesman vibes. Alarm bells ring and defenses go up. 

Even the language we use sounds (and feels) like we’re pitching snake oil. “We have to get the clients to buy this!”

When we show up with a “taker’s mindset” we show up with selfish motivation–it’s about you and your ideas and your proposal. And that mindset fundamentally changes everything about your presentation–from the tone of how you talk about the work, to your body language and microgestures during the meeting, and even how you feel about your own role in the room.

When we show up to sell something, we heap pressure on ourselves. It makes us feel anxious. It makes us react defensively when someone questions the work. We panic. “Shit, they’re not buying it!” And even when we truly believe with complete conviction in our work, if we show up to sell, it can often come off as disingenuous. I’ve seen people at the highest levels of the industry unable to get smart work approved because they brought used car salesmen vibes.

Here’s what to do instead. 

It admittedly sounds a little cheesy and tree-huggy, but stay with me.

Show up with a “giver’s mindset.” 

When you show up with a giver’s mindset, you show up with generosity. You have information that is valuable to the people in the room. You’re not presenting. You're sharing ideas that are genuinely going to help, or inspire, or make a difference, or solve a problem. 

You’re there to do something kind. 

When you show up with a giver’s mentality, it reframes the entire conversation. You make it about them, not about you. It makes you value your own work more and makes you share it more sincerely. 

Instead of feeling performance anxiety, you feel more confident, generous and clear-eyed about what you’re sharing, and why you’re sharing it. It makes your audience feel like partners rather than opponents.

This is not just koombaya stuff, there is real brain chemistry behind it. 

When you feel pressure to perform, it incites your fight or flight instincts. Your body releases cortisol - the chemical that puts you on edge and keeps you there. That doesn’t make for a good meeting, or a trusting relationship.  

Kindness does the opposite. Your body releases oxytocin - the chemical that makes us feel affection, warmth and connectedness toward others. When we give or receive kindness, we feel more connected and trusting and safe. It creates an entirely different dynamic and a much stronger bond. 

Try it next time you have a presentation. Before the meeting, put yourself into a Giver’s mindset. Show up with openness and kindness. 

You might even sell the work.