This article was originally published on the NAWBO Central Iowa blog.
You’ve likely heard all the standard strategies for sales and business success: Touch every prospect seven times. Begin each meeting with a firm handshake. Know your target market.
Regardless of your success practices, you must underscore your systems with one very important – and often overlooked – attribute: courage.
It takes courage to start a business, to run a company, and to stay active and innovative amid our constantly-changing work environment. It also takes courage to put yourself out there, day after day, to share your gifts with the world.
If you aren’t seeing the results you’d like or you find your energy waning, you may be due for a courage boost. Start with these tips:
- 21 Days Of Courage. Eleanor Roosevelt sagely advised us to do one thing every day that scares us. In terms of forever, that might seem overwhelming – but how about as a 21-day project? Each day for the next 3 weeks, make an uncomfortable but important call, speak up, say YES to an opportunity. Keep track of your courageous leaps in a journal for future inspiration.
- 100% Belief. It’s not enough to think you have a great product or service; you need to know this with 100% certainty. For instance, if you develop a cure for a disease and you meet someone with that disease, are you going to withhold that information because you don’t want to seem pushy or ‘braggy’? Of course not. When you believe in your gift 100% and know you can make a difference in someone’s life, that will fuel your actions – and your courage.
- Brave Role Models. Whose courage do you admire? Adopt the attributes that resonate with you into your own leadership style. Reach out to your role models and ask for ideas (they’ll probably be flattered!). Your goal isn’t to copy, but rather to gain fresh perspective, strategies, and inspiration.
Remember: You are already courageous or you wouldn’t own a business, so we’re not starting from scratch here. Build on your courage foundation in meaningful, purposeful ways such as those mentioned above. You will reap the rewards not only in business, but in life!
Want the #1 tip – plus the absolute best tools – for building courage? Join Dr. Christi Hegstad at Spark on October 3! Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com or call (515) 490-0604.
Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As a Certified Executive and Leadership Coach and the President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches executives and leaders to get unstuck – whether in your leadership ability, income level, or from spinning your wheels in the day-to-day – and flourish in meaningful work.
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