During a recent final candidate interview I was asked a very thought provoking
question: what defines the mindset of success? To be honest I was stumped! I gave an on the spot answer that I wasn’t happy with, which really challenged me to find a better answer. This blog has taken me weeks to put together because I wanted to find a better answer not only for myself, but for you.
The answer I was able to uncover was that the true mindset of success is like breathing: although your last breath was important, it’s not nearly as important as the next. In other words, our efforts must continue even after we have achieved results if we would like to continue to create even greater results. A successful sales person with the right mindset realizes that their efforts must continue in order to realize new achievements (remember “Big Mo”?); because once we abandon a desired goal, the cycle of success inevitably comes to an end. I have often heard the expression to under-commit and over deliver. Have you ever heard of anything more backwards? What’s the worst thing that can happen if you totally went for it? Why not over-commit and over-deliver? Another example to help you visualize my point is comparing success to your lawn: no matter how green or beautiful it gets, you continue to tend to it, otherwise the grass and the flowers will die. Also, when you set out to plant flowers or grass on your lawn, you don’t limit your vision/goal to one flower blooming, or one area of green grass on your entire lot; you envision the most spectacular amount of growth, with flowers and green as far as your lawn goes. This relates to your success in that we must never limit the amount of success we desire to obtain, as we will limit what is required to attain future success, which can only lead to failure in the success we possess today. We can never become complacent if we would like to reach our full potential. We need to become a company whose existence is not only about surviving and being reactive, but that is rooted in thriving and being proactive!
The successful mindset is one that does not want to compete, but dominate. The best way is to do what others are not willing to do. Make sure your success begets more success. It’s not “luck” that explains why someone is having success; it’s because they are taking the most action which naturally allows for more success, and they are relentless. These sales people create magical momentum by reaching their goals, which compels them to set even loftier goals. When you repeatedly attain success, it becomes less of a success, and more of a habit. And finally, success is never acquired, it’s always created!
Great points Sean. I believe there is no such thing as luck in the sense if how most people view luck, I believe you create your own luck by doing the necessary behaviors and having the right mindset to be successful, that some would call luck.
Thanks Gary! Like they say Luck is better defined as opportunity meets preperation! Best, Sean