“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest; we have to be more disciplined than the rest.” – Warren Buffett
My Initial Observations on Sales Curriculum
During my first few years in sales the faculty head of the college I graduated from would call me periodically to see how I was doing, but more importantly, to ask if I had any feedback on what parts of the sales curriculum were translating well into the real world of business life. At the end of our conversations, she would ask if I had any suggestions on content that could be added to the curriculum so that graduates of the program could increase their effectiveness.
At the time I could see that many capable, intelligent, and well-trained people were failing to thrive in the B2B sales profession but couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Many of the graduates of the program (and others) tried a career in sales but quickly packed it in, expressing things like the industry was not what they expected, they struggled with a lack of financial success, they didn’t have a love for sales, and that it was too much pressure, to name a few.
Because B2B sales is a profession that I love, I wanted to support the faculty head with the best feedback, so I shared with her my best observation at the time. What I was seeing was that those who managed their time well seemed to thrive, and those who did not seemed to flounder. I offered the feedback to “Add three courses on time management” thinking this would produce much more real-world, functional business graduates.
That was 25 years ago, and although I believe time management remains an important factor, my answer today has definitely evolved. Much more important than putting our focus on managing time and accounting for every minute of every day, is to put a focus on self. The missing piece I was searching for back then is self-management and discipline. While time is certainly a key element it is not only one.
It is the often-tricky relationship with self that can determine success and sometimes, failure. It takes a high degree of self-discipline to resist the push and pull of outside demands and distractions. To stay true to your path of success will at times be incredibly challenging, but exercising and building the muscle of self-discipline is a key element to finding success in the B2B sales business world.
Defining Self-Discipline
Let’s take a moment to look at the definition of self-discipline ‘correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement’ (Merriam-Webster). I personally look at self-discipline as simply staying true to what you say is important to you.
“The fact is discipline is only punishment when imposed on you by someone else. When you discipline yourself, it’s not punishment but empowerment.” – Les Brown
It is not lost on me that the idea of discipline goes against why many of us got into sales in the first place. One of the allures of a life in sales is the sense of FREEDOM we receive and the ability to call our own shots. Inviting a focus on self-discipline seems on the surface to be in conflict with the freedom we desire, but I ask you to stay open-minded, as not only is self-discipline the key to your business success, it is actually the gateway to the freedom you are searching for.
In life and business, we often hit the walls or challenges that can make it very tempting to give up. Not if, but WHEN this happens is exactly when self-discipline is needed. Self-discipline is the commitment to dig deep and discover inner and outside resources to overcome challenges. If we shrink self-discipline down to a micro scale, it can be seen as sticking to the small but important agreements we make with ourselves. Every day we make thousands of decisions that can move us either towards or away from what we say is most important. Many big goals require hundreds of decisions around time, energy, and plan, that if done with discipline, have huge potential to come together, arriving at a successful outcome.
Each time we fulfill one of these micro-contracts with ourselves we create a positive feedback loop. With each loop completed the feedback builds self-esteem and develops our self-discipline muscle. With both our self-esteem and discipline growing, what we once thought was impossible to achieve, becomes our new normal. With this new launching off point we gain the momentum to continually tackle our next big goals.
“Self-discipline gives birth to effective habits that support positive behaviors that move us towards what we say is most important.” - Dave Fyfe
Reframing Discipline for Success
Do you want …
personal/financial freedom? – self-discipline
to open your own business? – self-discipline
to move up into management? – self-discipline
to make a million dollars? (or is it 10 million now?) – self-discipline
work-life balance? – self-discipline
vibrate personal health? – self-discipline
to leave a legacy? – self-discipline
to write a book? – self-discipline
(add your goal here) – self-discipline
What is important here is to practice reframing the once dirty word of “discipline” into the opposite. Discipline is the practice of learning and is the absolute key to your success in all areas of personal and professional life. Without it we are just slaves to our bad habits. Without it we tend to place higher value on outside influences and demands instead of staying true to what we say is most important in our lives.
Without self-discipline, we will always be chasing, and never quite arriving at what we are all fundamentally looking for. Success.
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” –Jim Rohn
Dave Fyfe
Business Success Coach and Strategist
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