In the last 18 months, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time reading books and listening to podcasts detailing the backstories of highly successful people. Inventors, tycoons, philanthropists—who’s names you’d recognize. People who relentlessly chased their dreams. People who are highly admired and sometimes worshiped. People considered to be geniuses.

I have come to the firm conclusion that, in most every case, those people didn’t possess any superior abilities or intellect than the rest of us. In fact, there was a time when those same people were completely unknown. They didn’t suddenly become geniuses overnight. They were geniuses the whole time. 

After 20 years as a creative in advertising, I’ve learned that genius ideas are rarely recognized for their genius. The only thing that gives an idea the recognition it deserves is actually selling it. 

Salesmanship might be the most important skill a person can acquire. If Steve Jobs was unable to successfully sell the first computer that he and Steve Wozniak created, we might have never heard of them. If Henry Ford was unable to successfully convince the public to buy his motorized buggy, he would have faded into obscurity. If Thomas Edison was unable to sell his light bulb, we might still be using kerosene lamps. 

Now, I understand these weren’t the only innovators in their categories, so those advancements might have been inevitable. But the point is, without salesmanship, great ideas go nowhere. So why don’t we spend more time training ourselves to be better salespeople? Why isn’t it emphasized more in school?

Everything requires salesmanship. Men and women must sell themselves to each other as suitable partners worthy of marriage. We must sell ourselves to potential employers to get that job we want. An actor must sell himself to a director in order to get the part. The director must sell the premise of his movie to build an audience. A politician must sell his or her ideals to the public in exchange for votes. Nothing can be bought (or endorsed) by anyone unless it is first sold. All negotiation is sales. All diplomacy is sales. All teaching is sales.

Every audience must be convinced and sold. But how we sell is another subject entirely. There are many books written about it, so take your pick.

I’ve never been the greatest salesman. I’ve worked at it, but I’ve naively assumed that idea development deserved the lion’s share of my focus. For the longest time, I just thought great ideas would be automatically recognized. Wrong. It very rarely happened. Maybe one percent of the time, if the stars aligned just right.

The next time that you endeavor to convince someone of something or sell a product or service, you are doing yourself and your idea a massive disservice if you are a weak salesperson. 

Which brings us back to genius. We each have it, locked away somewhere inside us, waiting to be honed and developed. What separates the acknowledged geniuses from the rest of us is that they successfully sold their genius. They promoted themselves and their ideas masterfully and reaped the benefits. Had they failed to do that, their genius inventions would be covered in cobwebs somewhere in the recesses of their minds.

As the late Steve Jobs said, “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it….that’s maybe the most important thing, is to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just going to live in it, versus embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it….once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

Whatever idea has been nagging you to get out. Let it see the light of day. Nurture it. Learn how to sell it. It might be a genius idea that could change peoples lives.

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Featured

10:38 AM

Leadership can be challenging. Among other things, it takes confidence. Nobody wants to follow a weak, apprehensive leader. Therefore you must project confidence in order to inspire others to follow you. But there isn’t a pill that you can just pop and instantly become confident. So most people fake it. 

You might have ascended the corporate ladder and been placed in charge of other people through your intelligence, charisma, charm, enthusiasm, hard work or some other way. But, no matter what, you must have confidence.

Most leaders, in their effort to show confidence, become very unsavory. If you lead people, take this evaluation to see if you have true confidence or just arrogance masquerading as confidence. 

1. Do you refuse to admit error?

Let’s face it, no human being is immune to this character flaw. We all hate to admit we’re wrong. We erroneously assume that admission of error is a sign of weakness. But it’s not. It shows other people that you can be truthful with yourself, which instills greater trust in your followers. We all know that nobody knows everything, and nobody bats a thousand. Sometimes we strike out. If you refuse to admit error, stop pretending. We’re not buying it. Just say, “I messed up on that one.” Then correct course. That will earn heaps of respect from everyone.

2. Do you refuse to accept criticism?

You can spot an insecure person by how defensive they get when they are critiqued or criticized. Especially if they are immediately defensive. A person who is self-aware will listen to criticism and internalize it before responding. They do so because they seek self-improvement and allow themselves a moment to consider whether or not the criticism is valid. We are not always right. And we don’t always see the flaws others can see. If this is you, start welcoming criticism. True leaders not only welcome it, but they invite it. 

3. Do you ever ask for input? 

A person who never asks for advice is a pathetic soul indeed. We all need input. It’s impossible to have effective output without quality input. Transfer of information must be a two way street. No matter what your level of achievement, there’s always something more to learn. Plus, our subordinates often have genius thoughts and ideas they hesitate to share, perhaps out of their own insecurity. If you simply say, “What do you think?” you can coax those ideas out of them and potentially revel in the genius together. Or even inspire additional ideas.

4. Do you order people or ask them?

Some people love to exercise their authority. They love to command and control. But true leaders prefer to inspire and empower. They request instead of demand. It's been said that Andrew Carnegie, the famous tycoon and philanthropist, always asked people to do this or that task. He’d say, “Do you think you could take this on?” or “How do you feel about performing this task?” The magic in this approach is that people are far more likely to work harder if they feel apart of the decision instead of subjected to it. It’s just simple psychology. 

5. Do you swagger?

Swagger never invokes the awe and respect that swaggerers believe it does. Their refusal to make eye contact, their refusal to acknowledge other people in the halls, their obsession with appearances, and their slow, meandering stride—as if they’re unburdened by responsibility of any kind. Then there’s their condescending remarks and their dismissal of input or ideas. You know what I mean. The only thing missing is the stench. This is a true sign of insecurity. Truly confident people don’t need a facade. They’re comfortable in their own skin.

6. Do you love flattery?

Everyone blushes when they’re complimented, but most people tend to get uncomfortable when it’s excessive. But not arrogant people. They can’t get enough. In fact, they often surround themselves with brown-nosers. Contrarily, leaders with true confidence care little for flattery. It offends their sense of humility. They’d rather shine a light on their mission or their team instead of themselves. 

7. Do you have compassion?

The aforementioned character traits are bad enough, but leaders who project an emotionless, robotic image can invoke the icy chill of post-war Stalinist Russia. That is not an environment that inspires people to do their best work. It’s an environment that inspires people to search for a new job. Next time you have to ask someone to work late or take on an uncomfortable task, show compassion and sensitivity. Feel bad about it. Maybe roll up your sleeves and help. And when your subordinates deliver for you, reward their loyalty and dedication with something special. A bonus, a free lunch, a shoutout, whatever. Compassion and appreciation goes a long way.

I’m sure there are additional signs that you are mistaking your arrogance for confidence. But seven feels like a nice number.

If you lead people, avoid the perils of the above points. To be confident you don’t have to be pompous and prickly. Build true confidence through belief. When your beliefs are founded on truths, you’ll have natural confidence. But have the humility to accept new information and grow. The more you learn—while staying honest, humble and compassionate—the more truly confident you’ll become. And the more people will gladly traverse mountains for you.

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Career Featured Leadership

11:02 AM

What separates you from highly effective, successful people? I’ve asked myself this question many times. In my case, the answer can be summed up in one word: initiative. 

I’m perhaps more successful than 99% of the population, but I haven’t had the impact on the world that I’ve dreamed of having. A lot of people like me dream of having an impact on the world but never do. If all of the ideas that remain trapped in our minds could be realized, we’d all be healthier, happier and richer. By “all” I mean everyone on earth.

I know I have ideas just as good as any successful billionaire entrepreneur. But how do I act on them? That’s the question. That’s the crux of the problem for every one of us. That one word, initiative.

I really hate fear. I’ve been timid my whole life and it sucks. Before I broke into the advertising business, I had to make the first calls to creative directors and ask them to see my portfolio. That was tough for me. It seems pathetic now when I think back on it. But in some ways I’m still struggling with apprehension. I envy those who can just walk up to the high dive and jump off without a second thought. I was one who stood at the edge of the diving board and just looked down fearfully. The longer I stood there, the scarier it became. 

One method that has helped me to get past the apprehension and take initiative is this:

I state my intentions publicly.

I’ve heard arguments against this method, but it’s worked for me. Much like Hernán Cortés, when he scuttled his ships to prevent his men from retreating during their conquest of the Aztecs, declaring my goals publicly makes me feel more accountable. If I back down then I risk humiliation. 

Another method I use is priming my subconscious by constantly repeating my stated goal to myself, by saying, “I can and will do this.” Some call it an affirmation. It has almost magical powers.

Also, for inspiration, I’ve remembered these two statements, made by Napoleon Hill:

"The power of thought is the only thing over which any human being has complete unquestionable means of control."

And:

"Greatness is the ability to recognize the power of your own mind. To embrace it and use it."

The key words above are “use it.” I truly believe anyone can do anything. We may all have different obstacles and handicaps. But so did a lot of successful people. Our own greatest obstacle is procrastination.

Whatever your dream is, you can accomplish it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But you must take action. 

You are not alone in your hesitancy to take this step. Everyone hesitates. Only a tiny fraction of people ever go for it. But there’s never been an easier time in history to start something. Even just a side business or worthy cause. Let’s make a bigger impact on the world. 

(Giant caveat: whatever you pursue, just make sure it’s something you can do well. Don’t expect success if you suck at it.)

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Creativity Featured

6:36 PM