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Pride and Progress

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: Lessons from Great Leaders.

Pride and Progress

We are a proud nation, aren't we? Just last week, as a I strolled Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, I was again reminded of what an awesome country we live in. While my intent was to just go on a little "get off my butt", "back-fat" busting, exercise stroll, my leisurely walk ended up to be so much more. As I stood at the gates of the White House I couldn't help but think of the many great leaders that lived in that building. As I walked past the Washington Monument and looked out into the distance, I was in awe as I looked at the Lincoln Memorial and the steps that become the stage for so many other great leaders. Think of the events that have happened, and continue to happen in this town. Think of the political, social, cultural, sports, domestic, and foreign leaders that have come here to make things happen - to create progress - to create change.

And as I thought about what it was that drove these people to "make a difference," regardless of what that difference was, I was in search of some common thread that held them all together. And then it emerged into my small Irish brain. That common thread was PRIDE. Each one of the leaders that I thought about was filled with PRIDE, and their PRIDE became the fuel to the PROGRESS that they would create.

Notice the PRIDE in these words as JFK proudly pronounced his intentions of sending a man to the moon.

"I believe this nation should commit itself, to reach the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period would be more impressive to mankind or more important for the long-range exploration of space."

Was he sure that our great country could meet that goal? Who knows? But you could hear the pride in his voice as he addressed Congress and the world. It was that PRIDE that fueled the PROGRESS. It was that PRIDE that sent a man to the moon and returned him safely to the earth.

An let's discuss another great leader who I believe to be one of the greatest salespeople of the last century...Martin Luther King. Think about what that guy was selling. Think of the "objections" he had to overcome. Think of the tough "prospects" he needed to persuade. As I stood at the base of those steps last week, I imagined listening to those words, "I have a dream!" live and in person. I could almost feel the PRIDE flowing down those steps towards me. It was MLK's belief in what he was and what he was selling, his passion, beliefs, characteristics and most of all, his PRIDE, that stirred people and created PROGRESS.

But PRIDE doesn't only fuel political leaders. It can fuel regular folks like you and I...if we let it. It doesn't only fuel the rich, famous, strong, and the "beautiful." It can even fuel the poor, lonely, weak and the those who just can't seem to catch a break. An example I thought of on my walk back to my hotel who represents this is Helen Keller. Think of this woman for a minute. She went blind before the age of two and at this time in our history, "disabled" people were looked on as just that... "DIS-abled." As she grew older, Keller didn't pity herself and her situation. She was PROUD of who she was. She taught other disabled people to stop saying, "I can't!" and to start saying, "Your damn right I CAN!" And the PRIDE that she showed instilled amazing PRIDE in others. It was that PRIDE that fueled PROGRESS and changed people's view of people like Keller. This woman did NOT make excuses and hang her head.

There are endless examples that I could site, but they all tell the same story. If you want to get something done, if YOU want to create PROGRESS, if you want to make a difference, you need to feel that PRIDE. You need to believe fully in what you are "selling." And people need to feel it. And YOU know what I mean. People who make a difference and make their mark on others, exude something that is tough to get your finger on. Well if you want to get your finger on it, try this little exercise. Go ahead and hold up your right hand. (Come on...humor me a minute...Now do it!) Now hold up your index finger and bring it down to your computer screen or sheet of paper and touch this amazingly powerful word.

PRIDE There...you just put your finger on it. Now use yours to create PROGRESS at home, church, work, wherever! And don't do "what you do" in a "middle-of-the-road" sort of way. Don't "sell" your beliefs, your product, or your vision for your company in any other way than with 100% pure pride. Otherwise, how can you expect people to "buy" into what you are selling in a 100% pure way.

While most of us won't have a city or monument named after us, like the one I saw pointing towards the sky on that lawn in Washington, ALL of us can use our pride and passion to create progress. So be passionate about your families, your friends, your sales territories, your employees...your life!. Because when the "big game" is over for each of us, we will have either played with pride, or watched from the sideline. Jackie Robinson, a man whose pride made him Major League Baseball's first black athlete, said it best,

"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, you're just wasting your life."

So it's time to get busy. A new game begins today and you plan to show up on the highlight reel! Whether you are selling a product, or selling an idea or vision, do it with PRIDE. It will be your PRIDE that, in the end, will create amazing PROGRESS.

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Article Tags: communication skills, great leaders, insurance sales training, leadership, leadership skills, medical sales training, precise selling, pride, progress, sales tactics, sales training



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