By Dana Phillips.
“When your WHY is big enough, your HOW will find a way.” I recently saw a Facebook post with this quotation. Reflecting on my direct selling career, I thought about how it began. I was a consultant for nine months before I recruited anyone (she asked me if she could sell); my sales were up and down, mostly down, and I didn’t want to be a leader. I was getting by and hadn’t thought about what I wanted from my business, much less why. Taking the kids to McDonalds occasionally and buying their shoes was all I was getting from the efforts I put into my business. It wasn’t enough to keep me engaged, and I was on the verge of quitting when my mentor came into my life.
I had never met anyone like her before. She had a successful business. She led by example, was the most positive person I had ever met and cared about my success. She was a strong recruiter, trainer, and, most importantly, a people builder. When she asked me what I wanted from my business, I knew I wanted what she had in her business and life.
Once we got a clear vision of what I wanted and why, she took hold of me and stuck like glue. She showed me how to develop every skill and success quality I needed to follow in her footsteps. She reminded me of what I wanted and why when I was discouraged. I would regroup and keep going.
I was at a crossroads when I met her. I was going through the motions, which wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. In his presentations, Zig Ziglar always asked, “Are you a wandering generality, or are you a meaningful specific?” I was a wandering generality. Once I discovered my what and why, I knew exactly what I wanted and became a “meaningful specific.” My why was big enough, and the how became my driver. It changed my life!
Want to Dig Deeper?
At Team Connections Pro, we discuss the importance of clarifying the what and the why as you work with your leaders and future leaders. To me, it’s the most important thing you can do as you develop leaders. The what and why provide the inner drive that motivates a person to take action. If you have future leaders or leaders who seem to have lost their way, it may be time to revisit their what and why and reignite the flame.
What and why’s change and can get lost in the shuffle of life. Helping someone clarify or rekindle it may be the difference between promoting a future leader or having them quit. It sure made a difference for me!
