We are all salespeople in our own right. Some of us sell for a living, others sell/advocate on behalf of their passion. This blog is meant to share the trials, tribulations, victories, and lessons learned..............from one salesperson to another.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Potential

I think we've been trained to hear "potential" as a compliment, or a positive trait....... I don't believe this should always be the case. Potential must be taken in context. "This new movie has the potential to win an Academy Award"........is a compliment. To be proclaimed as the "potential next CEO of a company" is a positive. And, there are a million other cases in which potential should be used as a positive.

But, to be described as simply "having potential" can be viewed as a negative, or an insult. Pertaining to sales reps and employees, when I ask for feedback from a trusted source regarding a person........if they respond "he has potential" I'm ready to move on and hear about the next person. In this context, potential means he's not quite there. Maybe one day he'll be there, but it's not right now, and we don't know when it might be. Every organization has needs for teammates with potential. These positions are usually entry level or support roles, which will give ample opportunity to grow into their potential.

Don't ever be satisfied when somebody says you have potential. Everybody has potential to do something great. Great people are the one's that exhausted every resource to reach that potential. Potential is a reality check. Potential can be a slap in the face or a warning shot that says "you know what, you could be, you're not yet, but you're not far from it, maybe one day, just maybe.". Having potential should be all the motivation you need to find areas of improvement. Be great, not potentially great.

**. I've missed a week of blogging, and I've truly missed it. My mind has not been as flexible, sharp, and open. I need this brain exercise as often as I can get it.
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3 comments:

  1. VinceMay 25, 2011 at 10:52 AM

    remember though that everything has a beginning...the future great ones ONLY have 'potential' to be great today. Sometimes it's not so smart to quickly discount them as not having it now, but potentially having 'it' in the future. These people need the right person to coach them and lead them to greatness.............just as you did at one time.

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  2. JohnMay 25, 2011 at 11:24 PM

    Vince,

    I still need coaching and leadership, I believe we all do. And, I agree with you 100% that everyone must have potential at some point before achieving greatness. The message here is: simply don't be satisfied with having potential. Potential should serve as your challenge to improve.

    Regarding discounting someone who has potential, I think you're right, and I worded it poorly. The role that the person is playing will be the big determining factor in what type of person you are looking for. I can't really make a blanket statement about that.

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  3. vinceMay 31, 2011 at 5:36 PM

    I agree. when somebody tells me that I have potential to do something my first thought is, 'why not now?'. This drives me to fill in that gap between potential and GREAT! good piece

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