Why Children Are the Best Salespeople and How You Can Learn From Them

A mom is shopping with her three-year-old, who happens to find the PERFECT rainbow stuffed fish they can’t live without.

“Mom! Can I get this?” 

“Not today, sweetie. Let’s put it back.”

“I’ve been good all week, and you told me if I’m good all week, I can get a prize.”

“It’s Tuesday.”

“Can I just keep it while we’re in the store?”

“Sure.”

Never once does the child give up on getting the toy. They just switch tactics. Kids make excellent sales teachers because they show you that selling is the foundation of relationships. Every relationship you have is about getting the other person to buy into something, share something, give something, or experience something with you. When you start to see how often you naturally sell, sales become easier because you stop fighting your sales instincts.

Kids don’t let the word no discourage them

As a matter of fact, kids often let the word “NO” fire them up, trying harder for what they want (AKA: the sale). You’ve seen this often with successful people. Michael Jordan, who was cut from his high school basketball team, went on to become (arguably) the most legendary basketball player in NBA history to date. Einstein failed the entrance exam to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School. J.K. Rowling was rejected by twelve publishing houses before her worldwide phenomenon, Harry Potter, was accepted. And the stories of not taking “no” for an answer don’t stop there! Stories of overcoming rejection are everywhere, and part of every successful person’s experience. 

So where’s the line? Most often, “no” means “not right now” or not this particular prospect. Your job is to show up, serve, and make the offer that fits the prospect. If the prospect isn’t ready or says “no” today, that doesn’t mean they never want to talk about it again (unless that’s what they tell you). Following up is key, but here’s the deal. You don’t follow up to make the sale, you follow up to see where your prospect is in their journey and what they need. That will show you when to ask for the sale again. 

Keep in mind that getting a “no” doesn’t mean your product is bad. More than likely, you’re talking to the wrong people. If you allow all of the “no’s” discourage you from selling your product, then you’re going to continue to struggle with sales. When you hear a bunch of “no’s”, ask yourself if you’re selling to the right people or if there’s another market you should be serving with your offer. 

The times “no” means “STOP! Do not pass go!” is when the prospect has laid out clear, distinct boundaries and persisting infringes on their consent. If a prospect says, “Stop calling me,” or “This offer isn’t right for me. I don’t want to talk anymore,” then they have made it clear that the conversation is over. 

Making offers should always be for the benefit of the prospect. So make sure you respect their boundaries, and when it comes to making sales, don’t drop the ball on your follow up game. 

“Approach each customer with the idea of helping him or her to solve a problem or achieve a goal, not of selling a product or service.” – Brian Tracy

Kids master indirect pressure

Kids know how to use “indirect pressure.” Indirect pressure is a way to follow up with authority, instead of apologetically. Here’s an example of kids applying indirect pressure: 

“Daddy, remember when you said the next time we go to the store, I can definitely get a toy? You said that right? You remember you said it, right?” 

Before Daddy has time to remember if he actually said that, he’s in the car, on the way to the store. 

In a sales environment, this looks a little different, but the concept is the same. In this example, notice the difference between the novice salesperson and the expert salesperson.

If a prospect says they’ll be more available to talk next week, when you call them back don’t say, “I just wanted to call you back,” or “I’m just checking in.” An expert salesman says “Hey, John. You told me to follow up with you this week, so I’m calling to follow up. I’m excited to share with you what I have.”

The novice’s words have an undertone of “not wanting to be a bother”, which comes across as apologetic and weak. The expert’s words are acknowledging the agreement with the prospect and moving the conversation forward with confidence. This one skill can be a make or break in your follow up toolbox. 

Kids never lose passion for what they want

Children are not afraid to ask directly for the sale because they believe in what they’re asking for. Think about this in your life. It doesn’t matter if there’s a movie you want to see, a restaurant you want to go to, or a grill you’ve been eyeing, if you believe that getting or doing that thing will make your life better in some way, then you’re going to ask for it. 

It’s no different in sales. No matter how many times you’ve pitched your product or service, you need to not only believe in the power of your offer, you also need to have that same sharp, enthusiastic tone and demeanor every time you speak to a prospect. It’s not just the words that sell your offer, it’s your tone and body language that mostly conveys what your prospect needs to know to make their decision. To put it bluntly, if you don’t believe in the power of your offer and you’re not excited to get behind it, why would your prospect?

 If you are confident in your solution, there will be no reluctance in asking for the sale because you understand what your offer will do for your prospect—and that is EXCITING! 

“For every sale you miss because you were too enthusiastic, you’ll miss a hundred because you weren’t enthusiastic enough.” – Zig Ziglar

Kids don’t get stuck on one prospect

What do kids do if someone in the family says “NO”? First, they ask one parent, then they ask another. If that doesn’t work, they ask grandma, their favorite aunt or uncle, and then they eventually loop back around to whichever parent is most likely to say yes. 

This is where so many people struggle with sales. Don’t get tunnel vision with one prospect. There’s a whole sea of prospects, even within tight niches.

Sales is the natural order of things. You sell all day, every day, in most of the conversations you have. When you face sales in business, you need to give yourself permission to actually engage with and feel empowered by the process.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/why-children-are-the-best-salespeople-and-how-you-can-learn-from-them/

5 Ways to Fight Worry and Grow Stronger

I can’t believe I’m writing about a pandemic in 2020. At the time of this writing, millions of people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and hundreds of thousands of others have died of it. We’re all grateful for government officials, scientists, doctors, and nurses all around the globe working around the clock to save lives and bringing the world back on track.

Practical measures such as face-covering, social distancing, stay-at-home orders, hand sanitizing are to be respected. They can help us limit the spread of the virus, protect ourselves, and those around us. However, very few of us actually know how to cope with this mentally. Fear of the unknown is perhaps the most critical problem we need to cope with during moments like this.

Following are five ways you can build mental strength, banish worry, and actually come out of this pandemic stronger than before:

1. This too shall pass

Here is a little phrase to remember when you are overpowered by fear: This too shall pass! Uttering these words in moments of despair and hopelessness will bring you an immediate sense of hope and relief. The human mind tends to magnify problems and blow them out proportion in moments of distress. It’s important to remind yourself that everything is temporary, and so are our woes. Pep yourself up, you are too strong to let the weeds of fear poison the beautiful roses of the garden of your mind.

Psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, and immunologist Ronald Glaser, of the Ohio State University College of Medicine, found in their research that spanned from 1982 to 1992, that fear can weaken the immune system thereby making us more susceptible to getting sick. Stay firm, follow the health guidelines suggested by health authorities and remind yourself every day: this too shall pass!

2. Invest in what matters the most…yourself

Staying at home can be a catalyst for a myriad of disparaging thoughts, boredom, and procrastination. Instead of giving in to these negativities, take the time to rethink your priorities and invest in yourself. Things are already as bad as they are, it’s not wise to give them additional strength by mentally magnifying their effects.

What about that book you’ve always wanted to read? That diet plan you’ve been putting off? That new language you’ve wanted to learn? You may rationalize by saying that you will just wait for things to be better to start. The truth of the matter is, if you don’t start right now you are unlikely to start tomorrow. Things will get better and you will get back to your normal life and nothing gets done!

The point is, time is passing whether or not you decide to learn something. You might as well learn something and make the most of the time you have at your disposal. When it comes to time, you either use it or you lose it. Why not using it?

“There is no more profitable investment than investing in yourself. It is the best investment you can make; you can never go wrong with it. ― Roy T. Bennett

3. Help someone

One way to curb the negative impacts of the fear of uncertainty is to help someone. Deep down, we have the need to contribute and make someone else’s life better. Helping others has been associated with an increase in happiness, lower blood pressure, and even longevity.

Sociologists found that people who volunteered 5.8 hours a week described themselves as “very happy.” Researchers purport that people rate themselves “very happy” because it makes them physically and socially active. It may also be associated with an increase of dopamine, a neurochemical in the brain, responsible for making us feel good. You don’t have to be in government to help; donating to a local charity, reaching out to a friend on social media could help. These may be small but they can make a world of difference in someone else’s life.

4. Exercise

The negative pull of TV, our cozy bed, or other distractions at home can be detrimental to our productivity. Instead of giving in to these temptations, you can schedule your day as you would a normal working day. Plan your day and include time for exercise. A 12-minute workout session from Monday to Friday will go a long way in helping you stay fit and active.

Exercising will help boost your health, immune system, and above all your self-esteem. Why? Overcoming the negative pull of procrastination requires enormous discipline, determination, and willpower. Knowing that you’ve had the courage to start will increase your self-esteem which will, in turn, motivate you to continue. Well, you have nothing to lose and the world to gain, why not give it a try?

“I finally realized that being grateful to my body was key to giving more love to myself.” – Oprah Winfrey

5. Pray

Reading this subheading may get you the impression that I’m some sort of preacher, a maniac, or a combination thereof. I assure you, I’m not. I’m not preaching or trying to impose my religious beliefs onto you. No matter one’s religious creed, prayer can be a powerful tool in helping us navigate difficult times. Praying represents a manifestation of hope that we all need.

Hope that there is a better future ahead can represent an oasis of peace amidst the whirling sands of life. It’s for no reason that many psychiatrists turn to prayer because of its benefits in helping patients banish worry, anxiety, and fear. William James put it best: “a  new zest for life.” Let’s pray and spread the hope that the world so desperately needs right now.

We may not be able to change these circumstances but we are able to change the way we cope with them. Don’t let the simplicity of these techniques fool you, they are as effective as they are simple. I hope you find them as helpful as I and many of my coaching clients have found them.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/5-ways-to-fight-worry-and-grow-stronger/

7 Ways I Mastered My Schedule While Managing My Job, My Side Hustle, and Homeschooling During a Pandemic

If you’d like to learn how to gain control of your life during this pandemic so you can get the most out of your days, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.

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The CoronaVirus pandemic has thrown the world into chaos, for sure. We’re all wearing multiple hats, many of which don’t fit very well. Not only do we have to figure out how to do our in-person jobs virtually and continue to make time for our side hustles, we also have to help our kids with their distance learning.  

With all these changes, it’s no wonder we feel like we’re juggling chainsaws on a tightrope over a pit of boiling lava. So now that it looks like this is going to be our reality for quite some time, how can we climb down off the tightrope and start to get control of our schedules again.

1. Utilize block scheduling to organize your day

With a block schedule you break up your days into chunks of time that you dedicate to one particular area of your life. For example, check in with work from 7-9 am, help your child with school work from 9-11am, work some more from 12-2pm, then spend some time on your business from 3-5pm.

Times can shift from day to day to allow you to be flexible for meetings and client calls, or you can have a firm, set schedule and stick to it no matter what. Every family is different and you may have to experiment with what works for you.

Here’s a rough outline of our schedule these days with our 3rd grader:

	Mom	Dad
7-9am	Morning routine and free time	Morning routine and free time
9-11am	Help with the kids’ distance learning	Job-related work
11am-1pm	Job-related work	Help with the kids’ distance learning
1-3pm	Job-related work	Side hustle work
3-5pm	Side hustle work	Job-related work
5-7pm	Job or hustle work	Job or hustle work
7-9pm	Family time	Family time
9-11pm	Free time	Free time

 

2. Set timers and alarms

One of the most difficult things about our current situation is that there’s no division between work, home, and hustle. Without external cues like driving to and from work, the afternoon meeting, or Karen in accounting’s morning smoke break, it’s easy for time to slide by without notice. A simple alarm or timer can alert you that it’s time to take a break or move on to the next thing on your to-do list.

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” – Stephen King

3. Keep the kids busy

Have a stockpile of activities for the kids to do while you have to work. Try to get toys and games that can be set up, played, and put away by the child (or children). The more hands-off you can be, the more focused you can stay, and the quicker you can finish your work. Coloring books, legos, blocks, books, dolls or action figures, and a host of other games can be enjoyed by kids without parental interference. Think of it as creativity training.

And don’t go crazy over screen time. If your kids are watching more TV or YouTube than usual, it’s okay. Try to have some go-to shows that you know are educational – we love Wild Kratts – but remember this is a season, not a lifetime. Your kids will be fine, even if they go above the AAP’s recommended screen time allowance.

4. Delegate tasks that don’t need to be done by you

For work or business tasks, consider a virtual assistant. There are millions of people who are looking for work with skills that can help make your life easier. For home tasks, get help from your spouse or even the kids – a global pandemic is time for everyone to pitch in. You can also consider outsourcing mealtime with services like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron, or supporting your local restaurants.

5. Set clear, minimal goals

Just because you’re home all the time, doesn’t mean that you have to check every item off your honey-do list. While quarantine might seem like the perfect time to restain the deck, clean out the garage, launch a new service, completely retool your website, and write the great American novel, you are likely just as busy now as you were BC (before Corona), if not more.

Instead of trying to be all things to all people, focus on small successes in each priority area of your life – work, family, and side hustle. For example, rather than reworking your entire website, a smaller goal would be to rewrite your about page.  

“You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” – Steve Garvey

6. Let your kids help with your job or side hustle

In the time of Corona, every day is Take Your Kids to Work Day! And kids love to help out – my daughter will do anything for a quarter and the title of “assistant.” Some tasks that can easily be handed over to kids are stapling packets, stamping envelopes, and other “menial” tasks that no one likes to do. You can also hand your phone over to your child and ask them to take pictures of you working that you can later use on your website or on social media.

7. Take it one day at a time

Let’s face it.  No one prepared for this.  Even people with giant bomb cellars and stockpiles of food weren’t prepared for the world we’re currently in. So give yourself and your kids some grace. Some days are going to be great, and you’ll feel like you are owning this quarantine.  Others are going to make you feel like a complete failure. In as much as anything is these days, that is normal.

Don’t berate yourself because you miss a deadline, your kids refuse to do any work, or you forget to update your social media postings. You are doing great!

How are you currently handling the coronavirus pandemic? Are you finding that you’re getting a lot done from home? Share your thoughts on it below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/7-ways-i-mastered-my-schedule-while-managing-my-job-my-side-hustle-and-homeschooling-during-a-pandemic/

A Simple Branding Tactic Publicists Use to Help You Get Noticed

If you’d like to learn how to improve your personal or business brand so you can gain a bigger following, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.

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Working in PR, I’m on a life long mission fighting with blunt brand messages and copy-paste mission statements. 

In a beautifully diverse world where every personal experience is unique and every story, even the simplest one about a day in your life can teach, motivate, and inspire, many beginner entrepreneurs somehow settle for some cookie-cutter statements that might as well be printed on a t-shirt or a poster in an independent provincial coffee shop. 

Turns out, it’s not our fault, that’s just how our brains work. This study proved that people with similar views tend to mirror each other’s speech patterns, likely in an attempt to be better understood. However, a beaten phrase that might get you more head nods in a friends gathering would only do a disservice, if you are trying to stand out as a personal brand.

To create a message that stands out, ask yourself this question

Here is a tactic I’ve been using to create powerful PR campaigns for my clients. It’s called “Stupid majority.” PR adviser, Jerry Silfwer shared this idea in his TEDx talk.

Ask yourself this question: In my area of expertise, what is one thing most people are wrong about? 

It can be a publicly accepted belief, a common way of doing something, or ignorance about some latest facts. Of course, as long as there is a stupid majority, you can be a smart minority, educating the rest of them on what only you seem to know. 

Below are 3 examples of stupid majority:

We all used to believe in hard work and putting in extra effort, before the 4-Hour Work Week, 4-Hour Chef, and The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. That’s a great example of tackling a belief.

Marketers used to crack their heads about reaching the largest audiences until Seth Godin taught us to 10x marketing efforts by focusing on early adopters, popularising an idea from a 1962 book by sociologist Everett Rogers. 

Finally, there’ve been lots of PR dollars put in explaining links between heart disease and fats, which lead to demonizing all fats for years. Until recently when some health coaches, like Eric Edmeades or Dave Asprey and others, started educating the stupid majority about good fats. They also brought to light new facts, such as those about sugar which effects have been neglected all throughout the witch hunt against cholesterol. 

Here are a few steps to discover your own “stupid majority:”

1. Study the competition

Just start digging – you’ll find hundreds of people at a different stage of influence repeating similar messages. Instead of trying to say the same thing with different words, pull out your notebook, and start taking notes. The more popular a particular opinion or belief is, the more buzz you can create, pointing out what’s wrong with it or what’s missing.

2. Understand why the majority holds a belief

To communicate your “smart minority” idea most effectively, you’ll need to get clarity on why the majority holds a particular belief. It’s an easy job, as people spend a good amount of effort justifying their opinions, even when sharing something common. 

“Since we cannot change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.” – Nikos Kazantzakis

3. Get some facts to back up your point

Roll up your sleeves and get facts and stats. Saying that the majority is wrong will firstly catch attention. Yet, if you don’t have strong enough evidence to prove it, the attention won’t hold long and might even backfire. 

Interesting enough, even some widely known facts, illustrated with little known statistics, can result in a viral message. We all know coke isn’t the best choice for your health. Yet this infographic that just put some numbers behind this common opinion, went viral in just a couple of days.

4. Don’t be afraid to tackle popular topics

You have to be confident in your expertise, but once you get armed with all the facts, don’t be afraid to launch! Remember, you are not just going against the stream to turn a few heads your way. You are providing a new, researched, and educated opinion. 

Think about it like this: by addressing the “stupid majority” with new facts and a fresh perspective, you are doing everyone a service, by advancing the conversation on a particular topic. 

5. Be ready to get criticized

Critics go hand in hand with followers, the more attention you get, the more you’ll be criticized, especially if you choose to go against common knowledge. I suggest you get ready to celebrate every new critic as milestones of your success!

Why does this work? You are capitalizing on the fame of a popular belief. One of the key components of creating a viral message is providing a fresh perspective (or fresh facts) about something that already exists in public awareness.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffet

When to use it? 

This tactic is best when applied to your content creation, pitching media, or for speechwriting. In many cases, your “stupid majority” message would translate into one of your campaigns that you can use to gain publicity. Don’t confuse your “stupid majority” campaign with your overall brand message – this is just an effective way to get attention to your brand, and may lead to you sharing your brand message, but should not be used in replacement of it. 

How do you make sure your personal brand is sending the right message out into the world? Share your ideas with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/a-simple-branding-tactic-publicists-use-to-help-you-get-noticed/

How I Created a Personal Development Plan to Change My Life Forever

If you’d like to learn how to create a plan for your personal development so you can change your life for the better, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.

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There is no limit to our potential; we just need to harness it with the right tools and tactics to achieve our dreams. Do you know that all success stories have a few things in common? Hard work, dedication, steadfastness, and a little bit of luck are the recipe for continued and ultimate success. 

Today, I am going to share my personal development journey with you. Over the years, I have developed a personal development plan that helps me achieve my goals and keeps me moving forward. 

My personal development plan was born from personal experiences, especially failures. Here is how I ended up creating a development plan that keeps me going even today:

1. My Dorm Life 

I graduated college at the age of 22; fresh-faced and bright-eyed, I enthusiastically applied to organizations far and wide. I believed that my energetic disposition, eager attitude, and perfect grades will pave the way for employment without a moment’s delay. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed to smithereens, and I did not receive any responses to my applications. 

I started becoming hopeless with each passing day. Nothing dampens the spirit like rejection, and every day I felt like I was not good enough. At times I would get a little courage to start something new, but the rejection had affected my self-esteem, making me think I would fail at anything I tried. 

Lesson: Everyone feels lost at some point, don’t be too hard on yourself. 

2. My Research for Success

One day, I told myself that I would not live a life of hopelessness anymore. I started sending my resume to any job opening relevant to my field. As luck would have it, I received a callback and was appointed as an HR trainee in a digital agency. 

Although I was underpaid, I continued with the job because it kept me motivated to keep looking for better opportunities. 

To keep myself motivated, I used two tactics: 

• Gain HR skills to update my resume by taking online courses, watching YouTube videos, and reading blogs from HR experts. 
• Keep myself motivated by listening to motivational speakers and speaking to others in a similar condition

Once, while watching such a motivational video, I came across a 67-step motivational program. Since I had nothing to lose, I thought to give it a try. 

Lesson: Take any opportunity that comes your way and keep learning to keep yourself relevant and motivated. 

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar

3. Learning Curve 

The 67 steps of the program consisted of motivational videos. I got a new video every morning. So, I made a routine of watching the video right after breakfast. I used to jot down the important points and tried to follow them as best as I could. 

That motivational program taught me a few helpful things that I still use today. These are:

• Planning 
• Time Management 
• Not Missing any Opportunity: big or small
• Networking

Lesson: Take all the help you can get; learn from your experiences. 

4. Hard work Pays Off 

During this time, I used to post a summary of whatever I learned from the developmental program on Facebook. I intended to help others who were in a similar position through this little effort. 

My summarizations were in the form of short essays. One day, a friend of mine showed his interest in hiring me as a writer for his new project. I always wanted to be a writer, as I love to play with words. 

I started working for him, and with time, I gained good experience in writing. As I gained more experience, I set my eyes on a higher target; I wanted to publish my work on noteworthy sites. I started with Thought Catalog and made it my objective to get an article published on the site. 

With several trials and errors, I finally succeeded in getting my work published on a renowned site. 

Lesson: Use what you learn to your advantage. 

5. My Dedication Opened an Opportunity 

Though I submitted the first one successfully. I was still having trouble getting a second article published, but I did not give up. I decided that I will keep trying to become an exceptional writer.  

Since our failures are our best teachers, I decided to contact the editors for feedback. I asked them to point out what was unacceptable in my writing so that I can improve. This proved exceptionally fruitful, most editors were kind enough to reply. 

I developed several professional associations during this time; seeing my dedication, editors were happy to work with me again. One editor even asked me to work on a joint project on internet marketing services. Our collaboration was successful, and we met our project target within the given time. 

Lesson: Remember, perseverance pays off!

6. Keep At It

Personal development is not a milestone; it is a journey. You must keep moving forward to keep growing. Once you achieve one goal, repeat the same process again to achieve the next goal. Stagnation is not an option! 

Lesson: Keep learning to keep growing. 

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Earl Nightingale

My Personal Development Program 

Now you know how I created my personal development program. Let’s look at its main steps again:

• Set Goals for yourself – goals keep us motivated.
• Leave no stone unturned – try everything to achieve your goal. 
• Plan, manage time and keep an eye out for any opportunity. You will miss it if you are not looking. 
• Create your own opportunity – put your work out there and network to achieve your goal. 
• Once you achieve a goal, make a new one to keep growing. 

Conclusion 

So, this is how I brought a big change in my life. I ended up becoming a writer, something I never thought was possible. My career in writing was not smooth; I wrote, made blunders, learned from my errors, changed strategies, and finally got success. I am still learning and hope to become even better. 

What’s your personal development plan? Share some details about it with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-i-created-a-personal-development-plan-to-change-my-life-forever/

How to Become a Proven Wartime Leader

If you’d like to learn how to become a leader so you can influence people to act, sign up for the free 90-Day Master Class hosted by the founder of Addicted2Success.com, Joel Brown.

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For businesses and society, these crosswinds have created a war on everything: on traditional leadership, on the role of companies, how we live, and how we plan for the future. Success in these turbulent times calls for wartime leadership.

In 2020, it’s business as usual, and leaders will be required to fend off a range of existential threats. These could come from a wide range of sources including increasing geopolitical instability, social disenfranchisement, polarization, macro-economic change, climate change, corona pandemic, and so forth.

The role of a wartime leader

A wartime leader is led by the very specific circumstances of their time. A wartime leader is hyper-aware and ever questioning, constantly articulates and demands adherence to their business purpose, has a long-term guiding vision, has excellent intelligence networks to seek insight and information from a broad range of sources and channels and isn’t afraid to pivot their business or strategy to a responding threat. They can also rapidly refocus people, skills, assets and revenue streams accordingly, and ideally in anticipation of it regardless of the accepted wisdom.

The style of leadership that resulted in business growth and profitability in previous decades will no longer be enough. Leaders will be forced to rethink traditional boundaries of competition, market, and industry along with navigating new pathways to collaboration, development, or service delivery in light of the evolving conditions.

This is an opportunity for leaders to look beyond traditional business metrics such as profit margins and shareholder returns to really consider and create purpose-driven organizations.

A leap beyond social responsibility, this means considering the long-term, positive impact – or legacy, if you will – they will have on all of their stakeholders and touch-points including their employees, their community, and their environment.

Maintaining the same mindset that worked in previous decades will simply not serve us in the future. Will our leaders step up to become wartime leaders or will they surrender to the challenges of time?

“The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been.” – Henry Kissinger

Important aspects of wartime leadership:

1. You Are Not All-Knowing (And you don’t have to be)

Remember this, “The ability to focus, obsess, and chalk out priorities is vital, and this skill is not one that comes easily. It comes from the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn the battlefield.”

Stop predicting how long this may be. None of us know. Instead, focus on what your business needs to do to survive and win the market. Get closer to acquisition than awareness. Focus on what you can do today to be better off tomorrow. These are times of war – living to the next day matters.

2. Over-communicate

None of us know what will happen in the next weeks and months. Last week already feels like a year ago. For your team, over-communicate – especially when working from home, in isolation, and in uncertainty.

Keep the team up to date on as much as possible. Help them prioritize activities that have the biggest revenue opportunities. Have them take care of each other. Teach them how to think like a soldier – doing what needs to get done to get to the next day, helping pick up their fellow employees when they are down, and focusing on the task at hand.

Don’t forget, “A wartime leader has top priorities locked in, and is in a position to specialize in these elements with razor precision.”

“Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” – Jim Rohn

Conclusion

Just as a chess grandmaster is in a position to see the entire board and not only a couple of moves ahead, so must a wartime leader. The ability to focus, obsess, and chalk out priorities is vital, and this skill is not one that comes easily.

It comes from the ability of a wartime leader to learn, unlearn, and relearn the battlefield.

Understanding the landscape and atmosphere during which the battle is fought is crucial.

Finally, the simplest wartime leader knows the way to lead. The best commander-in-chief knows the way to rally the troops and keep them motivated. Whether it’s down within the trenches or within the room, creating a bond with the soldiers that keeps them going is the mark of an accomplished wartime leader. 

Understanding the landscape and atmosphere in which the battle is fought is crucial. If tough decisions need to be made, the resolve required to do so comes from a place of experience and knowledge. It takes courage to make unpopular and problematic decisions and the wartime leader must know that.

What do you think is the defining trait of a leader? Share your thoughts with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-to-become-a-proven-wartime-leader/

Perspective: It’s Never Been More Important

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Perspective has many definitions because it can mean something different to each of us. When I think of perspective, I essentially think of the big picture. Putting situations in perspective is taking them beyond the moment themselves and placing them in the grand scheme of life and your goals. The purpose is to not give singular moments more credit than they deserve.

Putting moments in perspective allows us to relax and approach things in a controlled manner. I can’t think of another time where perspective and mindset were more important than they are right now. It’s not a matter of downplaying the situation, but rather facing it head-on and seeing it for what it truly is. I think it’s incredibly important to think about the path you’re on in life, specifically your approach.

This time has impacted us all in unique and mostly negative ways, including myself. However, this situation has been much easier to handle for some than for others. I think that’s in large part due to perspective. Without mental discipline, focus, and commitment, surely this time would be a lot to deal with. The goal of this article is to help you get past that and to make the rest of this experience as beneficial for you as possible.

Why putting things into perspective is so important

I’m no expert, so take my advice as you will. However, I’ve had lots of real-world experience specifically with perspective and mindset. I’ve drastically changed my life, how I interact with it, and my overall outlook simply through introspection, training my mind and keeping myself focused.

There was a time in my life where I was so depressed, so filled with constant anxiety, that I could barely even function. But through effort and dedication, I was able to slip out of this part of my life, lose 80lbs along the way, and excel in school and professionally. That doesn’t mean I’m not subject to hardship like everyone else.

Like many people, I lost my job because of this pandemic, but the difference for me was that my mindset and ability to put things in perspective was already sharp. Despite all that has happened, my focus has always been forward-looking and not letting the moment define me. Refining your mindset and utilizing perspective can make any situation manageable and allow you to realize your full potential in life. 

When I talk about putting things into perspective, it’s important you know that doesn’t mean I’m saying to downplay moments or not care. The point is that we often get lost in the moment. Society is quick moving and we struggle to take a second to breathe. Even when we have all the time in the world to breathe, we struggle in seeing moments as part of the greater whole.

You can live in the moment, but don’t let small moments be so destructive internally. We must put the small moments in perspective so that we can better handle the big moments. This piece is about getting you to take control of the small moments first. Hopefully with these tools and pieces of advice, you’ll be able to establish a framework for the bigger occurrences in life.

“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” – Les Brown

Here are three strong ways to start utilizing and refining perspective in your life:

1. Stop, Breath, Think, React

For most people, it’s as simple as just taking a second before reacting. This is crucial for me, as my natural emotional reactions are almost always destructive rather than productive. Whether you’re the same way or not, slowing down and taking a breath is always a useful technique in life.

Before you blow up over just missing that subway train or on that guy who bumped into you, take a second, breathe, think, and then react. We all have countless moments every day like this. At the end of the day, is it that big of a deal if you miss that subway train? It’s these little moments that’ll start to make all the difference in your overall happiness levels once you start addressing them.

2. Reflect

Reflection is an important tool for so many aspects of life. As it pertains to perspective, reflection will allow you to refine your approach. As you reflect, you’ll be able to think about actions and how you want to move forward. Looking back at situations, you can see where you may have handled something the wrong way, or notice where your mindset was off.

Without reflection, I don’t believe it’s possible to address problem areas moving forward. Only by reflection can you expose these areas, think about them, and then input a strategy to address them moving forward. It’s important to know that the past can be very important and useful, but only if you use it to learn and not to dwell on it.

We all make mistakes and have bad days. If you have these moments, don’t get lost in your frustration, use them as a learning experience to avoid them in the future. Reflection can lead to incredible realizations, but it can also lead down a dangerous path if you let it. Beating yourself up about a moment that has already passed brings no value to you whatsoever, remember that.

Reflection’s key function as it relates to perspective is that it’ll allow you to be more aware of thoughts, actions, and feelings in real-time. You’ll be able to catch yourself in these negative ways of thinking and acting much easier, which gives you the chance to correct in real-time. 

Reflection works like that, it’s not going to be clear cut or always work when you want it to. If you have an area you struggle with, then put it in the forefront of your mind and dissect it. 

“I visualize where I wanted to be, what kind of player I wanted to become.  I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there.” – Michael Jordan

3. Know Where You’re Going

Ultimately the best way to focus on the things that matter is having an end destination or direction of some kind. Whether it’s a dream you have, a job you want, something you want to accomplish, or even a way you want to live, you should have something. 

Direction is a powerful motivator in life and is incredibly useful in utilizing perspective. For example, I know the values I want to live by and the kind of person I want to be, yet I don’t have a clue where I’ll be in a year from now. Nonetheless, those values and personal characteristics are still incredibly useful for me.

When I find myself in moments in which I’m not acting or living in the way I wish, I’m able to refocus to get back on my desired path in life. You’ll begin to see how these small moments you’ve made such a big deal of, in reality have little impact on your ability to still achieve what you want in life.

Focus on what your priorities are in life, think about what you want, and what you care about and let that be your guide. The more you do so and the more you focus on these priorities, the easier it will be to overcome the smaller moments of frustration, sadness, and pain. 

If you start overcoming the little things in life routinely, you’ll find that the big things aren’t as daunting as you perceived them to be. Establish some kind of direction in your life and let that be what drives you forward.

As we move forward during this time of crisis, I urge everyone to try and get some good out of it. For as terrible as this situation is, it also provides an essentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to refocus and refine our approach to life. Perspective is a powerful tool in life if utilized in the right way. Why not use this rare time in life to ensure you’re heading in the right direction?

What resonated most with you from the above article? Share it with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/perspective-its-never-been-more-important/