He who learns but does not think is lost!
He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger. – Confucius
John Maxwell said, ‘’if you want to lead, you must learn. If you want to continue to lead, you must continue to learn.’’ You cannot be a good leader in your industry or profession without the attitude of learning or personal development.
We all want to be leaders in our various professions. This is natural. People desire to be at the top in what they do. Athletes in the Olympics want to triumph in their areas. They want the gold medals in order to be celebrated. Students read and stay awake in the night because they want to prepare ahead of their examinations. It is when the student reads and prepares, that he can sail through during appraisals.
Business executives and professionals attend various capacity building training events in order to be awake and up-to-date in the happenings of their industries. It is no longer news that we are in a competitive world and the more you equip yourself, the more you fit into this challenging arena.
Right attitude
My favourite Nigerian writing icon and international award winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, gave a remarkable advice to her graduating seniors at Johns Hopkins University on 18 May, 2016, when the institution honoured her with an honorary degree. She said, “…embrace ignorance. Say those words, ‘‘I don’t know’’ because by embracing ignorance, you open up the possibility of knowledge.’’
This is a great mindset for learning. When you accept within you the need to seek knowledge, the environment to develop learning as an attitude is developed. You cannot seek knowledge when you have not developed the attitude to learn. You must first see the need to learn; you must accept that you don’t know before creating an environment for learning. Learning is an attitude of individuals who desire to get better in life’s journey. The more you learn the better you become.
I see learning as an attitude. I see learning as a way of life. The man, who likes learning, will always want to learn, unlearn and relearn. Show me the man who embraces learning and self-development and I will show you the man who is designed to succeed. When you learn, you improve in all you do. Learning develops capacity.
Learning as preparation
The man who fails to learn is a true definition of the man who plans to fail. Failure is almost automatic and inevitable when one fails to learn. Learning is one of the greatest forms of preparation whether in sales profession or any other life endeavour.
The journey to success requires high level of preparation. You must be prepared as a sales professional, as a student, as a business owner or in whatever you do. I am a living witness to this fact. I have mentored a lot of professionals who rose from operatives to managerial positions because they embraced an attitude of learning, as well as personal and career development.
You lose nothing when you learn. In fact, you gain everything. Attitude of learning develops the mind and everything you will become emanates from the mind. Learn something new every day. You cannot perform beyond your capacity. This is not just logical, it is also practical. People give only what they have. No one gives what he doesn’t have. You can take this to the bank!
The salesman’s secret
Today’s competitive and advanced world is waiting for people who are proficient in what they do. A salesman who displays expertise in his job is likely going to be on top of his game. Buyers would naturally flock around the salesman who knows more and speaks more about his product. Buyers buy from smart salesmen!
A salesman’s proficiency in product knowledge and market information is a function of the salesman’s ability in seeking information that will enable him advance in these areas. A salesman who has more market and product information in a given environment and under the same circumstance would have miles of advantages more than his less-informed competitors. Buyers buy from virtuosos. People buy from salesmen who have shown reasonable level of dependability.
Developing capacity is one of the ways that ensures trust in what you do. The more you increase in knowledge and ability, the more you attract people to your side. Build capacity today.
