The ABCs of Success
June 11, 2015
The best of motivational legend Bob Proctor's popular radio shows have been selected and edited into book form, from A to Z, in The ABCs of Success.
Management
We Are Two People
There is a psychological truism that all effective managers in business and industry have a firm grip on. The understand this truism in depth, which is why they are so effective. It is a concept most people find very difficult to grasp.
We are all two people.
One, we are the person we present to those around us. This is the superficial faade we believe best represents what others want to see, and is largely a mirrorlike reflection of those about us.
Secondly, we are our real selves ... who wee keep safely locked away from the scrutiny of others, and quite often, from ourselves. Ideally, in the person who reaches total maturity and fulfillment, this dichotomy disappears. The person becomes unified, totally one person inside and out. For this person, the war is over; he or she has achieved peace within him- or herself and is totally free.
This is perhaps the goal that all effective managers, consciously or unconsciously, strive toward. They endeavor to lead each person to this ultimate end, thereby helping to develop a more productive personality.
Knowing that with the great majority of people, this inner self, this inner true identity, bears little relationship to the external faade that is presented to the world—understanding that this inner, protected person is soft, tender, sensitive, and extremely vulnerable, particularly to suggestions calculated to remove the real fears that dwell in the mind of the person they are managing—the knowledgeable manager plays on these sensitive fears as upon a harp.
The effective manager, or parent, often leads the person to completely remove or partially remove some of the fears that represent blocks to fulfillment, peace of mind, and a more successful, productive person.
Yes, most of us are two people, and the effective manager understands how to lead the two of us into one productive being.
Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control; these three alone lead one to sovereign power
Be that self which one truly is.
Professionalism
What Makes a Pro
Watching any professional is one of the most satisfying experiences in life. It makes no difference what the professionals are doing; they fascinate you with their skills and precision.
Years ago, I was employed by the fire department. I had a captain, Harry Taylor—we called him Scotty. I suppose by today's standards, he would not be considered very "professional."
Some of the other officers who did attend the fire college and left with high marks had no idea of how to lead people. Scotty was a leader; he knew how to get the best out of his people.
He was a pro.
Watch professional ice skaters. They leave you with your heart in your mouth as they go into some of their jumps, and yet they land with ease. You would almost believe they were born with skates on their feet.
Watch the professional secretaries. They move with the same calm and assurance that the gold medal skater does.
Professional salespeople are poetry in motion. They go through their presentation calm and confident, overcoming objections, and leave with the order. And you never even heard them close the sale.
Professionals are a joy to watch. How do they become so good—or should I say, great?
They do the little things in a great way every day. They work toward being at their very best, regardless. They know that amateurs compete with other people, but professionals compete with themselves. They study, practice, simulate every move, every day, many times. They want to be better today than they were yesterday.
Self-improvement is the name of the game, and your primary objective
is to strengthen yourself, not destroy an opponent.
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able
to remake the world ... as in being able to remake ourselves.
