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| Admiral William H McRaven |
In a commencement address to University of Texas students, Admiral McRaven offered Ten Life Lessons he said he learned by being a Navy SEAL.
"Lesson Number One: If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."Why is this task so important? Because if you start the first task of the day by being organized and orderly, that sets the mood for the rest of the day. Making a bed well takes a little time and more discipline than most people realize. Try it and see if it makes a difference. This may not work if your spouse happens to be still sleeping. But the underlying message is to start the day by organizing yourself. It may mean simply sitting at the breakfast table and making a list of your tasks for the day.
"Lesson Number Two: If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle."I have written many times that we cannot be successful in sales by ourselves. We need to seek help, always, because other people see things that we don't and those things help to close sales.
"Lesson Number Three: If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers."We are often influenced by things that don't matter and we don't pay attention to the little things that do matter. Take your blinders off and really look at the little things around you; look into a person's heart. Successful sales people need to understand people and their needs: look into their hearts.
"Lesson Number Four: If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.We, in the sales profession, often feel "entitled" to that order--we deserve it because we worked harder than the other guy. Well, McRaven says, get over it and move on. The other guy got it and you need to check your ego at the door.
"Lesson Number Five: If you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses."We live in a crazy world. People make ordering decisions for reasons that we'll never understand. Unexplained failure--the loss of an order for reasons that don't make any sense--will happen over and over. Get over it and move on.
"Lesson Number Six: If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first."The meaning of this lesson is not obvious. In our sales world, "sliding down the obstacle head first" means that sometimes you have to accomplish the selling task by taking a totally different approach to the customer--think outside the box. This is why it's good to talk to people and get input. Someone may show you a different way--headfirst.
"Lesson Number Seven: If you want to change the world, don't back down from the sharks."We all know who the sharks are--they're our competitors who, sometimes, will do anything to derail the sale we're trying to make. The lesson here is not to back down. Don't become a shark yourself, but aggressiveness in the pursuit of a sale is not a fault. As I have said to my sales folks often: GTO (Get the Order). That's the game we have to play.
"Lesson Number Eight: If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in your darkest moment."Everyone experiences dark moments. In our world, it's often the loss of a big order that everyone was looking for. It is at this moment that you go into the "debrief" mode that I've written about several times. Understand what got you into this place and make sure you figure out how not to get there again--get help, talk to people, don't go through it alone.
"Lesson Number Nine: If you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud."There's another way to put this: "never let them see you sweat." In our sales world, we have to be optimistic no matter what happens. I like to use the example of a successful baseball player: a successful major league baseball player gets an average of 3 hits for every 10 at bats and may experience 20 or more at bats with no hits. A pitcher may have a horrible inning, but he has to come back and pitch again in the next inning. When you're up to your neck in mud, sing. Try it.
"Lesson Number Ten: If you want to change the world, don't ever, ever ring the bell.""Ringing a bell" for a SEAL is quitting. A salesperson, like a Navy SEAL, like a baseball player, should never give up. Keep swinging; keep fighting; keep finding new customers and taking care of old customers--just don't ring the bell.
"Lesson Number One: If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."Why is this task so important? Because if you start the first task of the day by being organized and orderly, that sets the mood for the rest of the day. Making a bed well takes a little time and more discipline than most people realize. Try it and see if it makes a difference. This may not work if your spouse happens to be still sleeping. But the underlying message is to start the day by organizing yourself. It may mean simply sitting at the breakfast table and making a list of your tasks for the day.
"Lesson Number Two: If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle."I have written many times that we cannot be successful in sales by ourselves. We need to seek help, always, because other people see things that we don't and those things help to close sales.
"Lesson Number Three: If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers."We are often influenced by things that don't matter and we don't pay attention to the little things that do matter. Take your blinders off and really look at the little things around you; look into a person's heart. Successful sales people need to understand people and their needs: look into their hearts.
"Lesson Number Four: If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.We, in the sales profession, often feel "entitled" to that order--we deserve it because we worked harder than the other guy. Well, McRaven says, get over it and move on. The other guy got it and you need to check your ego at the door.
"Lesson Number Five: If you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses."We live in a crazy world. People make ordering decisions for reasons that we'll never understand. Unexplained failure--the loss of an order for reasons that don't make any sense--will happen over and over. Get over it and move on.
"Lesson Number Six: If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first."The meaning of this lesson is not obvious. In our sales world, "sliding down the obstacle head first" means that sometimes you have to accomplish the selling task by taking a totally different approach to the customer--think outside the box. This is why it's good to talk to people and get input. Someone may show you a different way--headfirst.
"Lesson Number Seven: If you want to change the world, don't back down from the sharks."We all know who the sharks are--they're our competitors who, sometimes, will do anything to derail the sale we're trying to make. The lesson here is not to back down. Don't become a shark yourself, but aggressiveness in the pursuit of a sale is not a fault. As I have said to my sales folks often: GTO (Get the Order). That's the game we have to play.
"Lesson Number Eight: If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in your darkest moment."Everyone experiences dark moments. In our world, it's often the loss of a big order that everyone was looking for. It is at this moment that you go into the "debrief" mode that I've written about several times. Understand what got you into this place and make sure you figure out how not to get there again--get help, talk to people, don't go through it alone.
"Lesson Number Nine: If you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud."There's another way to put this: "never let them see you sweat." In our sales world, we have to be optimistic no matter what happens. I like to use the example of a successful baseball player: a successful major league baseball player gets an average of 3 hits for every 10 at bats and may experience 20 or more at bats with no hits. A pitcher may have a horrible inning, but he has to come back and pitch again in the next inning. When you're up to your neck in mud, sing. Try it.
"Lesson Number Ten: If you want to change the world, don't ever, ever ring the bell.""Ringing a bell" for a SEAL is quitting. A salesperson, like a Navy SEAL, like a baseball player, should never give up. Keep swinging; keep fighting; keep finding new customers and taking care of old customers--just don't ring the bell.
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