Wednesday, June 30
Do you have the 'X' gene?
"We often talk about ourselves as if we have permanent genetic flaws that can never be altered."
-- Marshall Goldsmith
This snippet from America's preeminent executive coach (and founding director of the Alliance for Strategic Leadership) speaks volumes about where most people are today, and where they COULD BE.
My wife was on the phone yesterday (we share an office) with her business partner in their video production business. She asked him, "So, Rob - do YOU have the sales gene?" Turns out that neither one of them believed they had "the sales gene."
Guess how robust their sales are?
Exactly.
And the term "gene" - as in the creativity gene, the leadership gene, the money-making gene, the happiness gene - is as FLEETING in reality as it sounds BIOLOGICALLY PERMANENT when we talk about it!
Thomas Watson, Jr. of IBM weighed in on this issue when talking about excellence (or the 'excellence gene' as we could call it in this context):
"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work."
Try this version on for size: If you want to achieve X (sales, creativity, leadership, whatever), as of this second, start believing that you DO have that gene -- and ACT on that fact.
Remember, you were not brought here to fail.
-- Marshall Goldsmith
This snippet from America's preeminent executive coach (and founding director of the Alliance for Strategic Leadership) speaks volumes about where most people are today, and where they COULD BE.
My wife was on the phone yesterday (we share an office) with her business partner in their video production business. She asked him, "So, Rob - do YOU have the sales gene?" Turns out that neither one of them believed they had "the sales gene."
Guess how robust their sales are?
Exactly.
And the term "gene" - as in the creativity gene, the leadership gene, the money-making gene, the happiness gene - is as FLEETING in reality as it sounds BIOLOGICALLY PERMANENT when we talk about it!
Thomas Watson, Jr. of IBM weighed in on this issue when talking about excellence (or the 'excellence gene' as we could call it in this context):
"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work."
Try this version on for size: If you want to achieve X (sales, creativity, leadership, whatever), as of this second, start believing that you DO have that gene -- and ACT on that fact.
Remember, you were not brought here to fail.
