I read a lot. Just go to our suggested reading list and you will see that I read about sales and selling. I read about recruiting, on-boarding and training sales reps. I read novels, industry magazines and when I'm desperate I read the newspaper. This weekend the headlines in our local paper could not be ignored. A truly great man, mentor, coach, and human being left us at the young age of 99.
I can't do any justice to the man by writing anything about him here. Just google 'John Wooden' and you will learn much about a great man. Dick Enberg is quoted as saying that his greatness as a basketball coach was exceeded by his goodness as a man. He certainly left a legacy.
Can't we, don't we all leave a legacy? Regardless of what our roles are in life, basketball coach, lawyer, banker, construction work, mom, dad, teacher, landscaper, when we leave this world we leave a legacy.
What will your legacy be as a sales professional? You may not think it important, and so that is the legacy that you will leave. Seth Godin as the question, 'is it worth it?' What we do every day with our internal and external clients builds our legacy. How we treat people, how we negotiate, how we execute on our business plans, how we contribute to the growth of others. Each and every thought, action and word builds the legacy that we will leave.
Years ago, I had a discussion with a very successful insurance professional. We were having this discussion about goals and success. He had already accomplished a great deal personally, relative to his wealth. And so there wasn't a lot of motivation to sell to make more money. I asked, "When you leave the building for the last time what do you want the people left inside the building thinking? Do you want them thinking, 'It's about time', or do you want them thinking, 'Wow, what do we do now?'" He said, 'I want them thinking the latter.' "So you want to leave a legacy and not just leave?" 'Yes,' he responded.
And so I pose the same question to all of us today. When we leave for the last time, what will we leave behind? What is our legacy?