Developing Sales Mastery © – Potential

There is no pay check that can equal the feeling of contentment that comes from being the person you are meant to be.
Oprah Winfrey

Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking our potential.
Winston Churchill

Potential is much written about, there are plenty of definitions and quotes from people who have contributed a great deal to the development of thinking around it – my view is that it is made up of the following three:

Focus

The key to getting anywhere in life is to know where you are going and stay on the path – this isn’t always easy with the number of choices and distractions we all face, as Winston Churchill said “you will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”. This is where Awareness is critical so as one ensures they choose and stay on a path that is consistent with who they are, which you can read more about here.

Patience

Along with focus, potential requires a certain amount of patience to ensure that setbacks or challenges do not get in the way causing individuals to become frustrated and give up. The exuberance of one’s 20’s and 30’s is often tempered as experience and wisdom kick in later years – the profoundness of the saying “it only took me 20 years to become an overnight success” should be instilled a little more into all of us rather than the comparison games that most of society plays.

Coachable

The ability to listen, process and take on board feedback is the final critical piece of potential. Human nature is such that ignorance, insecurities and pride get in the way of developing and implementing new ideas. My two children, Henry 17 and Scarlet 15, both have part time jobs, independently within the last 6 months both of their bosses have said how great they are to have working with as they listen and are very coachable – it made my heart sing.

Joseph Folkman talks about the importance and value of coachability in his article in Forbes Magazine is well worth a read here.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and as always, I’d love to hear you thoughts.

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