Leaders, in my worldview, are those that practice the same ideals and principles in and out of the boardroom. They also practice economies of scope in such a fashion as to gain efficiencies in their daily lives:
“[Economics of scope is] the condition where fewer inputs such as effort and time are needed to produce a greater variety of outputs. Greater business value is achieved by jointly producing different outputs. Producing each output independently fails to leverage commonalities that affect costs. Economies of scope occur when it is less costly to combine two or more products in one production system than to produce them separately.”
To this end, I often find that applying business principles to daily life. Sales and marketing is a great field to derive principles in showing the people in your life the value which you have in the world around you. These principles can supplement your deeds in showing others perceived value.
1. Offer of yourself. Make promises, and be certain to keep them. By offering of yourself, you open yourself up to be offered to, as it is said in The Bible: ““Give, and it shall be given to you. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return.”
2. Seek first to understand. A “Covey Classic,” this principle goes to the emphatic understanding of what you’re being told. Instead of giving someone your autobiography then seeking to bring them to your point of view, try looking at the world from their point of view by thoroughly seeing to their concerns then seeking for your own to be understood. This will help assure that a working communication is developed.
“How can you expect a man who's warm to understand one who's cold?”
—Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
3. Adapt your message. Each person sees the world how they want to see it, through myriad filters and perceptions, in accordance with their worldview. Because of this, you need to be able to speak in terms of the other person’s perceptions, try to see the world through their eyes and adapt what you are saying to how they see the world. Just as a typical basketball player wouldn’t much understand the technical jargon of physics, people will have a tendency of listening with intent to respond rather than listening to absorb if we choose the wrong way to send our message.
“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water moulds itself to the pitcher.”
—Chinese Proverb
4. You are a product providing a service to the world; make yourself great. People look up to others who with traits that they hold in high regard; while the specifics will vary between individuals, there are culturally-held and universally held traits that can be displayed which can influence others to see you as great.
5. Up-sell. One of the times that I was in college I was not your typical college student, just traipsing from class to class, taking tests, and moving on. Instead, I decided to go above and beyond (something forged from my military experience): This became my trademark. Everything that I would do, I would take it one step further, going above and beyond a person’s expectations of me in that situation.
6. Closing. When you’ve gone through the steps and wish to “close the deal” on influencing someone to do something, it is most effective to close in a fashion that matches the situation’s requirements most closely.
7. Audience targeting. Although there are supposedly people out there that can do it, why would you want to sell ice to an Eskimo? You end up putting more effort into something to an audience that doesn’t need it. Why would you offer something to someone that doesn’t need it?
“The odds of hitting your target go up dramatically when you aim at it.”
—Mal Pancoast
8. Be persistent about being persistent. Everyone does things that fail, just as we all do things that occasionally work. History has shown over and over again that the victory doesn’t necessarily go to the superiorly skilled or equipped, but rather the most persistent.
“Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.”
—Denis Waitley
9. You, the Brand. The image which you present to the world is your brand. Everything you put into yourself, your actions, and the world around you is noticed. If you make due on your word, people will add more repute to your brand; just as the opposite is true.
“Your premium brand had better be delivering something special, or it's not going to get the business.”
—Warren Buffett
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