Download an Excerpt of, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

3-The Seduction of Potential.

With the release of my latest book, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions, here is the third excerpt in a five part special series of exclusive book excerpts I will be sharing with you over the next week for you to download and enjoy immediately! It’s a PDF, so load it into your PDA and take it with you.

Here’s the PDF you can download now of The Seduction of Potential – Download the chapter excerpt here.

Synopsis:

Potential Is the Holy Grail

There are three areas in which managers constantly struggle. One area is deciding who to hire and where to find good talent. The second is deciding who to invest the time in turning around, and the third is determining who to let go and when to do it. These are the tasks that managers complain about the most. And at the root of these challenges leads back to one thing. Potential. Yes, we are often seduced by the potential that we believe we see in others.

We believe that sometimes, if we wait for that underperformer to ‘turn it around,’ if we’re patient, if we give them just a little more time, more resources, better training, more attention, they can finally live up to their potential. We believe our employees when they tell us, “Just give me a few more weeks. I’m about to close in on two big sales. Yes, I know my performance has slipped, but as I told you, those personal problems that have been distracting me are no longer there.”

We think, “Okay, if they really could turn it around that would make my life so much easier. After all, it sure beats the painful and time-consuming process of having to recruit someone new, let alone having to figure out how to cover a territory with no salesperson!”

This belief is counterintuitive. Ironically, it costs you more to keep someone like this on your team. More time, more lost sales, more money and resources, more lost selling opportunities, more conflict, more internal problems. Then you have less time to focus on growing your business and on the people who are performing: the people who make you look great, who are coachable, and who want to truly live their potential today.

And that’s when it happens. The seduction begins. Now, you begin making decisions based on your emotions, feelings, hopes, and unrealistic scenarios, rather than on the facts and what is best for you, the company, as well as the person in question.

The seduction of potential clouds your better judgment. If you’re looking for evidence of this conundrum, then just glance over at the people on your team today. Think about the people you have hired in the past who did not work out. How many people can you think of who you hired, when, in your heart, there was a warning sign, something telling you that this person was not the right fit? Call it your gut reaction, your instincts, or intuition. Your internal barometer was desperately trying to tell you something, and you chose not to listen…..

Download the chapter excerpt here.

If you like what you read, I respectfully invite you to Write a Review! I appreciate you sharing your book endorsements. Help more managers and business owners become highly effective coaches and more powerful leaders. Write a review on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. I value your input and deeply appreciate your support.

Special Edition – Hardcover. Get Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions today at a special discount 37% off at Booksamillion and coach your salespeople into champions. Check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 800-CEO-READ and other trusted retailers here.

Download an Excerpt of, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

2- The Nine Barriers to Coaching Your Team

With the release of my latest book, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions, here is the second excerpt in a five part special series of exclusive book excerpts I will be sharing with you over the next week for you to download and enjoy immediately! It’s a PDF, so load it into your PDA and take it with you.

Here’s the PDF you can download now of The Nine Barriers to Coaching Your Team – Download the chapter excerpt here.

Synopsis:

For any executive sales coaching initiative to be effective and long-lasting, there are important obstacles that a manager or internal sales coach needs to address.

Barrier Three: Surrender Your Agenda When Coaching

What if your boss walked up to you today and said, “Your career, your bonus, your position in this company, and your salary will depend on how well your team performs. That said, I want you to start coaching all the people on your team, one on one. Hold them accountable and be unconditionally supportive, while surrendering your agenda and maintaining objectivity.” Could you do it?

My clients consist of a myriad of companies and professions, all shapes and sizes, selling products and services in practically every industry and profession. Yet, the one truth I share with them is this: “When you work with me as your coach, this will be the only relationship you have where it will always be 100 percent about you.”

If you’re an internal coach, this may be a stretch to fully surrender any agenda or attachment to your sales team’s performance, especially since their performance directly reflects on you. In such cases, there’s an inherent challenge for you, as the business owner or manager, to separate your agenda from theirs and have no personal expectation from the relationship other than your unconditional commitment to their continued growth and success. It’s going to take some adjustment on your part to develop an unconditional and authentic relationship with your salespeople. We tackle this in much greater detail in Chapter Two.

Download the chapter excerpt here.

If you like what you read, I respectfully invite you to Write a Review! I appreciate you sharing your book endorsements. Help more managers and business owners become highly effective coaches and more powerful leaders. Write a review on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. I value your input and deeply appreciate your support.

Special Edition – Hardcover. Get Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions today at a special discount 37% off at Booksamillion and coach your salespeople into champions. Check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 800-CEO-READ and other trusted retailers here.

Download an Excerpt of, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

1 – Chapter 10. The Art of Enrollment

In celebration of the release of my latest book, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions, I have some special bonuses I want to share with you today.

First, I believe loyalty in readership is worth rewarding. That’s why I have a robust book excerpt available for you to download immediately, entitled, The Art of Enrollment.

As a matter of fact, I’m going to be sharing with you five special and exclusive book excerpts over the course of the next week for you to download and enjoy immediately! It’s a PDF, so load it into your PDA and take it with you.

Here’s the PDF you can download now of Chapter Ten. The Art of Enrollment – Download the chapter excerpt here.

Synopsis:

Enrollment: An authentic, powerful way of communicating that grabs people’s attention, stimulates interest, and empowers others to embrace, support, and believe in your position, idea, or philosophy. This motivates people to want to become part of your cause (a cause that may be bigger than you and them), take ownership of it, and then act in their best interest to create the possibility that you have introduced to them and/or have taken a stand for. (For example: Creating a certain corporate culture, selling or making a purchasing decision, trying something new that hasn’t been done before, or advocating for a positive, yet difficult change, etc.)

Enrolment is the new language of leadership. It is a way to unleash each person’s purest form of open, honest, and authentic communication, using thought-provoking, curiosity-based questions that generate worthwhile results in any setting. When you uncover what you are passionate about, what you believe in, and then take a strong, unwavering stand for whatever it may be, while respecting the mutual differences of one another, only then can you start to communicate and achieve more through the enrollment process: the highest form of communicating and self-expression.

And if you like what you read, I respectfully invite you to Write a Review! I appreciate you sharing your book endorsements. Help more managers and business owners become highly effective coaches and more powerful leaders. Write a review on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. I value your input and deeply appreciate your support.

Special Edition – Hardcover. Get Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions today at a special discount 37% off at Booksamillion and coach your salespeople into champions. Check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 800-CEO-READ and other trusted retailers here.

Download an Excerpt of, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

Chapter 10. The Art of Enrollment

In celebration of the release of my latest book, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions, I have some special bonuses I want to share with you today.

First, I believe loyalty in readership is worth rewarding. That’s why I have a robust book excerpt available for you to download immediately entitled, The Art of Enrollment.

As a matter of fact, I’m going to be sharing with you five special and exclusive book excerpts over the course of the next week for you to download and enjoy immediately! It’s a PDF, so load it into your PDA and take it with you.

Here’s the PDF you can download now of Chapter Ten. The Art of Enrollment – Download the chapter excerpt here.

Synopsis:

Enrollment: An authentic, powerful way of communicating that grabs people’s attention, stimulates interest, and empowers others to embrace, support, and believe in your position, idea, or philosophy. This motivates people to want to become part of your cause (a cause that may be bigger than you and them), take ownership of it, and then act in their best interest to create the possibility that you have introduced to them and/or have taken a stand for. (For example: Creating a certain corporate culture, selling or making a purchasing decision, trying something new that hasn’t been done before, or advocating for a positive, yet difficult change, etc.)

Enrolment is the new language of leadership. It is a way to unleash each person’s purest form of open, honest, and authentic communication, using thought-provoking, curiosity-based questions that generate worthwhile results in any setting. When you uncover what you are passionate about, what you believe in, and then take a strong, unwavering stand for whatever it may be, while respecting the mutual differences of one another, only then can you start to communicate and achieve more through the enrollment process: the highest form of communicating and self-expression.

And if you like what you read, I respectfully invite you to Write a Review! I appreciate you sharing your book endorsements. Help more managers and business owners become highly effective coaches and more powerful leaders. Write a review on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. I value your input and deeply appreciate your support.

Special Edition – Hardcover. Get Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions today at a special discount, 37% off at Booksamillion and coach your salespeople into champions. Check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, 800-CEO-READ and other trusted retailers here.

Six Days to Launch! Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

The other day, in my blog about how to coach someone, I discussed The Gap, which is where the real magic and true impact of coaching takes place. The Gap is the space that exists between where someone is today and where they want or need to be.

What I have found is that the gap represents several key indicators or areas of opportunity that you can coach someone around. The opportunities for coaching people are vast. Here is a detailed list of the top ten things you can coach someone on.

1. The Who: Values, passions, standards, boundaries, integrity and so on

2. Their Attitude: Belief, mindset, philosophy, outlook or assumptions.

3. The Lesson: What have they learned? Why are the same lessons repeating themselves? Are they getting it?

4. Ideal Characteristics: The ideal qualities you have defined that encompass, for example, a sales leader or manager. (Extroverted, actionable, honest, strong communicator, accountable, curious, organized, strong integrity and presence, comfortable disposition, smart, responsive, and so on.)

5. The Skill: Is there a missing discipline or one that needs further development?

6. The Activity: Are they engaging in the activities that support their goals?

7. The Strategy: How do they plan on achieving the intended result? What resources are needed?

8. Their Commitment: Are you noticing their energy level, enthusiasm or motivation waning?

9. Their Communication: The language, dialogue or communication regarding style, delivery, presence and disposition.

10. Their Relationships: The relationships they have with intangible concepts and feelings as well as with their stories and S.C.A.M.M.s., (I cover this in great detail in Chapter Four of, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions.) You can even coach someone around their relationship with fear, confidence, time and self management, self worth, rejection, call reluctance, their drama, their diversionary tactics and so on.

Seven Days to Launch! Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

The most common question I hear from executive coaches, internal coaches as well as managers just starting to shift from manager to coach is, “How do I recognize where it is they need and could benefit from the coaching most?”

Actually, covering the specifics of what you can coach someone on, from a tactical perspective is actually the easier part. It’s uncovering the who or the often very elusive and limiting thinking or outlook they have which is ultimately showing up in their actions and behavior that is the tricky part. Demonstrating this ability is a true testament of a gifted, exceptional coach and I’m going to share with you how to develop it on your own.

Regardless of the topic, skill, problem or mindset you’ve identified as a possible focal point in your coaching, there is one model that’s always applicable in every coaching scenario. It also happens to be the very thing each coaching opportunity has in common. That is, The Gap. The Gap is the space that exists between where the client or coachee is today and where they want or need to be.

The Gap is the space that exists between:

• What people know (current knowledge, philosophies, assumptions, stories, outlooks, beliefs, and so on) and what they don’t know or don’t realize is possible.
• What people need to do; the activity that supports their goals yet are still not doing.
• The resources and skills they have and the ones they don’t.

Imagine a bridge for a moment. Picture yourself standing on the side of the bridge. You focus your vision on the other side of the bridge which is the location you want to get to. Think about what you need to do to get to the other side. Consider the resources needed to arrive at your desired destination in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of risk or error. Reaching the other side is your goal or your destination. Notice the Gap. What might you need to fill in this gap; this void that exists between you and your goal?

The Gap is the void between where you are now in comparison to where you want to be. This is the space where the coaching happens. What’s needed to cross the bridge? You need a car if you want to get to your destination as fast as possible. You need fuel as the resource needed to get your car moving. You need a clear path that would help you arrive at your destination with the least amount of delays, obstructions, diversions and wrong turns. Identifying these resources (which we did through the use of inquiry, just like when you’re coaching) provides definition, structure and an executable strategy which collectively, evolved into an actionable and comprehensive solution to this situation.

Instead of assuming what your staff already knows or what they need to do, start determining what they need to know or learn how to do better in order to fill in this gap and ensure clear communication and spot-on coaching. You’ll increase your awareness, become more sensitized to what the other person needs to learn and uncover greater opportunities for coaching.

Most important, stay away from doing what many managers still habitually do. That is, react and share the answer or what you perceive to be the solution to a problem before understanding the person’s specific needs or asking the right questions that create the space for the person to develop a solution on their own. Recognizing the gap in every coaching conversation or situation with your clients, staff or even with your prospects and customers will help you become more sensitive to the importance of investing the time to go deeper into their specific challenge, request or situation. Embedding this within the foundation of your thinking and approach to managing and coaching will allow for a strong coaching culture to emerge.

Eight Days to Launch! Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

Sales Training or Sales Coaching. What’s The Difference and When Do I Use Them?
A client of mine, the owner of an executive recruiting firm, emailed me a question after our coaching call regarding some confusion around the difference in approach between coaching and training and when exactly do you use each discipline, especially when it came to new hires who typically went through a structured training program.

Here’s what the email read:

“After reflecting on our conversation I have a couple thoughts I wanted to run by you. You mentioned I need to tap into people’s own wisdom and strength, and let them come up with their own solutions and along the way I should sprinkle in questions along their vision line that cause them to think, and I can then add truths to their solutions vs. telling them they are wrong or how to do it or what the answer is, etc…

I do believe this is a more mature approach in coaching sales managers and senior sales associates. However; this is a bit contrary to how we initially train new associates.

We only hire entry level and train from within. We tell new associates that they need to subscribe to the “blind faith” model as they are learning the job. We do this because the trainers and managers have to literally walk new associates through most of their initial phone calls so they can not only achieve measurable success quickly but help us in determining whether they have what it takes or will disqualify themselves from this position. We want them to implement our sales model because we know it works. We have a very in depth and hands on training with new associates, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for creativity when they are being walked through how to prospect and cold call, how to deliver effective presentations, how to close the sale, how to speak with customers, how to make a proper phone call, etc. We believe this is such a difficult job to break into, we want to do everything in our power to get them performing to our expectations, so they can eventually learn how to do the job on their own.

Although it is necessary for new associates to go through this type of training, it does not seam effective for Sr. Sales Associates or Managers. It seems that if I truly want self reliant and self motivated salespeople and sales managers, I need to coach them towards the right solutions and let them get there on their own rather then tell them what the answer is or what to do.

Ultimately, my question is, am I thinking along the right path and how do you determine whether the situation requires more of a training approach where I need to show them how to do something or more of a coaching approach where I rely more on their ability to find the solution within themselves?”

Here was the response I sent:

GREAT question and highly insightful! Yes, you’re beginning to think like a coach. So the question is, when is it a training issue and when is it a coaching issue. Here’s an analogy.

If you want to learn how to play golf and you’re going to take the game seriously, one of the first things you’re going to do is find a great teacher or enroll in a golf training class. You find someone who can show you the mechanics of the game, teach you the game and help you develop your own swing. Since you’ve never done this before, you need to be shown how to do so. More than just being shown the basics and fundamentals you want to be shown the very best way to do it in order to cut down your learning curve and you want to be taught by a champion who’s already doing it or who has already done it. That’s the training aspect to learning the game and wanting to learn the best practices for playing.

Now, some time has passed by and you’ve learned the basics. You’re out on the golf course playing consistently. You’ve taken what you learned from the golf pro and are doing your best to apply it. You noticed you’re only getting so far. While your score has improved since you’ve started playing, you’ve capped out and can’t seem to shoot better than a 90.

Since you are ready to take your game to the next level, you now go and find yourself a great golf coach. Distinct from what a teacher does, your coach is going to find out what you want to refine and improve. Your coach is going to uncover where you want to be in terms of how well you want to play the game. What do you ultimately want to shoot? That’s the measurable end result or destination; your gauge for winning. Rather than tell him how to play, the coach is going to watch you play a round. The coach is going to observe not only how you swing the club but how you play the inner game of golf as well. The coach is going to want to get a good sense of your own style, strengths, areas of opportunity and how you currently play the game.

Here’s the quick distinction. A teacher or trainer is going to show you how to do something; something you’ve never done before or tried before in a consistent manner. The trainer is going to provide you with a foundation, a process, a benchmark of best practices to give you a starting point in relation to where you would begin on your path of development.

A coach, however, is going to show you how to do what you are doing even better. First the coach would need see how you swing a club. Then the benefits coaching are recognized and apparent when the coach watches from the sidelines seeing the things that you, as the player cannot and gently tweaks and refines your game and approach to the point where you’ve made it your own. Coaching is the discipline management uses to leverage all of your salespeople’s individual strengths and talents to keep them on top of their game and recognize their fullest abilities today, rather than by what could be tomorrow.”

If you’re learning how to do something for the first time, you want to be taught best practices. Like golf, the instructor isn’t going to let you invent your own swing. You need to be shown the right form etc. Then as you learn the fundamentals you need to then be coached to refine your game and advance your game.

So it makes sense what you’re saying. First you need to show them the best way, show them best practices and train them how to do something they’ve never done. When it comes to refining your game, removing obstacles, and challenging thinking, that’s when coaching comes into play.

Tip From the Executive Sales Coach: Sales training is what you need to become a salesperson. Sales coaching is what you need to become a sales champion.

9 Days to Launch! Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

Lee Salz, President of Sales Dodo, LLC and author of “Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager” recently shared this article with me. With the theme of my blogs shifting subtly over to the sales management and leadership part of the success equation for building a team of sales champions, this article certainly hits the mark regarding what sales managers and business owners need to be sensitive to when looking to hire, train and recruit salespeople.
Sure, recruiting and hiring salespeople and top talent is one of the most critical activities a company performs. However, few companies are truly adept at hiring the right people to meet, let alone exceed their expectations. According to Lee Salz, here are some tips for sales managers on how to hire the right sales talent.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of CEOs about their sales recruitment needs. To make a point, I mentioned to them that my friend, Willie McMoney, had heard that I was speaking to this group and asked that I mention he was looking for a new sales home. I shared Willie’s background with the group: Willie has a Bachelor’s Degree from a well-respected institution, has a great look, has been selling for over ten years for household name companies that offer low-price products, and has exceeded quota each of the last three years. That being said, I asked the group who wanted to hire Willie. Most raised their hands in earnest.

I shared with the group that there were a few more details to discuss before a decision could be finalized. The information to consider was the profile of their company, which included the following attributes: they were a start-up with no name recognition in the marketplace, positioned as a high value/high price provider, and required customization for each client. I asked the group again about hiring Willie. The light bulbs started turning on. They began to recognize that finding a great salesperson is not a one-dimensional exercise; rather, it requires that the company look within to determine the necessary skills and attributes for someone to be a great salesperson in their environment. The term “great” is the issue here. Willie is a great salesperson and he has the credentials to prove it, but the question is: will Willie succeed in your company?

Consider this: companies spend thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, defining their ideal client. They hire firms to help them analyze their approach and identify the audience, as well as how to reach them. When I asked this group to share with me the attributes of their ideal client, I felt like a game show host. The group came to life and was shouting out answers non-stop. I strategically interrupted them and asked them to share with me the attributes of their ideal sales person. After hearing the deafening sound of crickets chirping, I shared what I often heard as attributes of this ideal: someone who is very strategic, solution-oriented, sells on value, experienced, and a strong seller. The group sighed in relief as they thought I had let them off the hook. Not so fast! I asked them how they can hire talent to match that scope. How can recruiters translate that criteria into a project whereby they can laser-focus their approach and produce the right candidates? The relief disappeared from the room and was replaced by angst.

Hiring sales people is the business equivalent of formulating a marriage… a sales marriage, that is. Appearance may be enough to initiate the relationship, but without deep commonality of needs and values, the future of the marriage is bleak. Why does that matter? The expense of sales turnover is truly immeasurable. Sure, you can measure cost of turnover, recruitment, and training but how do you place a value on the damage caused by sending the salesperson of the day into the same accounts over and over again? “Hi, I’m Ben this week’s salesperson representing Widgets We Make. I’m here to help with your needs.”

The way for employers to avoid this peril is to develop a profile of their ideal salesperson. This profile requires the executive team to collaborate and be truly honest about the interworkings of the company in order to produce an effective exercise. The profile includes three primary components: product characteristics, buying process, and organizational attributes.

1. Product Characteristics
   a. What is the nature of the product(s) being sold? Is it tangible, abstract, or concrete?
   b. What is the nature of the buying relationship? Is it a one-time, transaction sale or a repetitive, complex one?
   c. Is the product a component of something broader (niche) or is it a comprehensive solution?
   d. How recognizable is the product and company in the marketplace of your buyers?
   e. In contrast to the competition, where is the product priced?




2. Buying Process
   a. What are the expectations of the salesperson with respect to prospecting? Are you generating leads or are they expected to self-generate them?
   b. How long is the buying process?
   c. Is the product “off the shelf” or does it require the salesperson to creatively build a solution?
   d. At what level is the purchasing decision made? Who are the other buying players that influence the purchasing decision?
   e. What sales support is available for the salespeople? Is the salesperson required to go from end to end or is the salesperson only required to handle certain parts of the process?




3. Organizational Attributes
   a. How flexible does someone need to be to survive in your environment? Think in terms of how often the organizational structure changes the compensation, and/or the territory.
   b. What is the sales management approach? Is the sales manager a hands-on coach or a distant observer of performance?
   c. What are you willing to teach to a salesperson? The product? Prospecting? Product positioning?
   d. What aren’t you willing to teach to a salesperson? Sales 101? Prospecting?
   e. What corporate baggage does your company have? What are the oddities that make it challenging for a salesperson to succeed in your environment? Is there a difficult individual in your company? Are there technical flaws that make it challenging to sell the product? This one requires true introspection and honesty.

With this exercise complete, you are ready to formulate your ideal salesperson profile which looks like this:
We want a salesperson who is experienced at selling:
• A product with the following attributes…
• In a buying process that includes…
• For a company characterized by…

Now that you have a profile for your ideal salesperson, don’t keep it a secret. Be sure that your entire leadership team has a copy of it! Share it with recruiters so they can deliver candidates that match it. Develop interview steps that allow you to measure if these candidates meet the profile. Formulate interview questions that expose these areas.

I concluded the meeting with a quick comparison of Willie’s skills and the company’s attributes, which can be seen on the first page. A marriage between these two would be disastrous! Although I wasn’t able to find Willie a new sales home, I did succeed in making the CEOs aware of the steps they need to take in order to create the best sales team possible for their company.

Can something new possibly be written on this subject? It looks like Paul McCord Author of has made claim to a new and powerfully effective model for selling success.

He asks, “Do you have what it takes to become a superstar in sales? I’m talking about, do you have the real foundation that is mandatory for becoming a top producer.”

Do you know which markets that you will really dominate?
What marketing and prospecting methods are best suited to your strengths and skills?
What sales process will make you the most successful?
What your real strengths and weaknesses are and how to take full advantage of them to sell more than you thought possible?
Everyone knows that top salespeople are made, not born.

But what do they REALLY do that is different than everyone else? What do they know that so few others know?

This isn’t the typical book with some tips and strategies to close a few more sales or to find a few more prospects.
SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar is a guide to finding your personal keys to success—your keys to controlling your career and insuring you are one of the top salespeople in your industry. No longer do you have to allow chance to determine whether or not you reach the top of your field.

SuperStar Selling doesn’t have any canned answers. No quick miracle fixes. No fluffy promises of easy success.
Instead, SuperStar Selling challenges you to examine everything about your sales business and then to make RADICAL changes. It forces you understand how you’ve gotten to where you are in your sales career and why you aren’t where you want to be.

Then it not only demands you make radical changes to what you do, why you do it, and how you do it, it guides step-by-step through the process of finding exactly what markets and marketing methods, and what sales process will take you from where you are today to where you want to be.

This is absolutely a career changing book. McCord walks you through every major area of your career, not only demanding you examine each area in detail, but works with you to create real plans, real goals and real solutions to your problems that will make you a top producer.

Get your copy at Amazon.

12 Days to Launch! Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions

Confidence. It’s one of those key ingredients that needs to be present in our formula for success. If you look at anyone at the top – in business, in politics, in entertainment, in sports, one common denominator each one of these leaders possess is an unshakeable degree of confidence in themselves, in their abilities and in their beliefs.

Confidence makes up much of the fuel that drives us, the over-achievers, the dreamers, the visionaries, the driven, the passionate and those who simply want to be the best at what they do; the entrepreneur who’s looking to build a successful business, the manager who wants to empower his team and make them winners, the salesperson who’s looking to post large monthly sales numbers, the sole practitioner seeking to build a sustainable practice or the up and comer starting a new career and is looking to make their mark in order to ascend through the ranks within their company.

The challenge for maintaining an infallible, unshakable high degree of confidence is that for most people, it seems to be conditional. Rather than being absolute, most people’s level of confidence changes based on their situation and experiences. Sometimes it’s at an all time high. Yet, other times their level of confidence is shaken or challenged based on an encounter they had, a mistake that was made, a failure, or an inability to produce a desired result.

The myth surrounding confidence is this: The overall sense of confidence you have about yourself is based upon your experiences and what you produce. As such it will continue to eternally vacillate, as most people allow their internal condition to be dictated by their external situation.

In my article, The Secret to Building the Confidence of a Champion, you’ll discover the hidden power that we, as human beings have at our disposal but rarely do we tap into its fullest potential. I’m referring to the greatest power we all possess. That is, our power of choice and out ability to choose to be confident as an absolute rather than as a condition of circumstance.

You can read the full article here.