Homage to “The Lanyard”, by Billy Collins
Plastic window dressings peek-a-boo, who are you? Lines of lanyards stand at attention A to L and M to Z, toy soldiers. Swinging long, getting caught on brass blazer buttons or collared shirts, a cue card around my neck. Name, I am Company, I keep, Title I’ve earned, Location traveled. Bright colored ribbons, special stickers for speakers and sponsors, like a Walmart Greeter. Hello, and welcome to the jungle. Eyes up then down, quickly to assess worth and time, this will soon add to a collection hanging hooked on my office door. Forced march through the stalls, I almost feel sorry for the software snake-oilers, avoiding eye contact on my mission, lunch buffet. Sponsors hawk their wares at the souk, a corporate football field, flea market where everything is for sale, even the floor, decorated with decals. Logos plastered to swag, peanut butter cups and breath mints, plastic bottles and free foam coozies that will collect dust in kitchen drawers for years.
workLIT Memo: I’ve been in the booth, outside the booth, on the stage, and even producing the event. I’ve also been an attendee at conferences, desperate to avoid prior versions of myself. From cold calling lessons in high school and a first job post-grad in “inside” sales, to almost a decade on a Wall Street equities sales desk, I have spent much of my professional life in commercially focused roles. Moving into the start-up world was a reminder that everyone is charged with selling, especially leadership, as they sell a vision, a product, and even a team.
This poem is from a body of work focused on the customer lifecycle and the emotions that live in the highs (and lows) of any sales cycle. My 82-year-old father was a salesman turned entrepreneur and shared a truth with me decades ago…
“Nothing happens in this world until someone makes a sale.” - Frank/Dad
This poem is also really about identity - literally “Hello, my name is” and how, in many circles, our professional identities supersede all others. Since beginning a corporate sabbatical last fall, I’ve found myself at events for the first time without an employer attached to support my identity. These lanyards are keepers. And they hold the record for the most # of people approaching me cold, asking me more about what I do, or how I managed to swing a sabbatical :).
