Last night, I watched the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street," based on the story of Jordan Belfort and his rise to wealth through corruption and manipulation on Wall Street. My son had watched it some time ago and told me how much I would like it because so much of what I had taught him about sales and leadership skills were in it. The scenes where he was in front of his sales force inspiring them were moving. He was right, but this story once again proves that the skills and techniques he used almost always work to inspire and lead people, be it for the good or for bad. It's not the people skills that are wrong, they are just tools in the hands of the one using them. It is the intent of that person that is the variable.
When I was just twenty, one of my heroes, Zig Ziglar, changed my life from stage when he explained the difference between Manipulation and Motivation. He said, if you are an outstanding sales person, who really has studied and knows the sales skills to do so, can manipulate most people into anything. He then went on to say, if you are so skilled, you should never, ever do so. Zig taught that to do so is manipulation when your motives are for you to win, and it doesn't matter to you if the person you're "selling" wins or loses. He explained that you can use the same techniques to Motivate where you put the other person's wants, needs and desires above your own. There is nothing wrong with you personally gaining as well, but if you focus on their best interest you will win in the long run. "If you help enough other people what they want, you will always get what you want." Zig Ziglar.
I've been blessed to have been in leadership roles in organizations where the top leaders were in fact using these skills brilliantly, and have seen the difference in the intent of the top leader and the impact of all those following them. To see clearly both under one who was all for himself and under those who put their people first. The damage done to the lives of those who were following the wrong guy were devastating. Not as bad as in Belfort's case with people going to jail, but lost businesses, houses, cars, and worse, marriages. One of my mentors spoke to me in the aftermath of the one who imploded, while he may have been the most dynamic, most brilliant public speaker and charismatic person I've ever met, may have been an amazing business leader short term on that magnetism, but couldn't sustain it long-term due to his lack of personal character. He built his business from nothing to a seven figure income per month in less than seven years, and was bankrupt two years later, damaging hundreds, if not thousands in his wake.
These experiences have so impacted my life, it's one of the reasons why I'm so passionate about always putting my clients first. To me, there is nothing so valuable as never having to avert my eyes from the man looking back in the mirror. Could I have sold more in my career if I didn't care about looking out for them more than me, sure, but maybe not for as many years, because it always comes back to roost when you damage people. Ultimately how you sleep at night is the greatest measure of success. If you want to enrage me, let me catch you manipulating people in sales or in leadership roles. To me it's not only an affront to the people that were mislead by mendacious spin of taking a particle of truth you offer and making it seem much better than what it is, you damage the relationships that those in sales and leadership who are truly there to better their clients lives by causing all in those roles to be lumped together in the publics mind.
As I write this I think I better understand why I fight against what I perceive to be corrupt politicians at all levels taking advantage of the people they are supposed to serve. In business I've long been that guy who calls out others for misleading advertising or sales spin. Just this week I sent a recruiting advertisement back to a competitor calling them out for its grossly misleading message and pointed out line for line where it misled. I'm all for competition, but it offends me for anyone to "sell" people something that's not true.
Again, if you build your career around what is best for your clients first, you need not be afraid to learn and apply those universal sales skills, but please use them for good.
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