During my time in network marketing, I worked very hard to gain new titles and lead each of my team members to new titles themselves. You see, each time they advanced to a new title, I advanced and received one as well. It’s all too easy to feel tied to that title. Lots of goodies and accolades came with the titles. I watched friends and team members gain and lose titles over and over, as will happen in direct sales.
Each time, I convinced myself that once a title was earned, there was no going back. That somehow losing a title or dropping back to a previous title would give me a completely different title: loser. Some months were better than others, and there were months when my title was in jeopardy. It was during those sobering times that I wasn’t having any fun. I was just too focused on the possibility of losing a title.
Of course, the Colonel always noticed a dip in my spirit and a slow in my step during those times. Each time, he told me, “A title is just that, kid – it’s a title. It doesn’t define who you are.” He reinforced the point that the title doesn’t define my value or how hard I’ve worked. He told me that if I focused only on the title, I’d lose the big picture. Then he would verbally kick me in the butt and tell me to get over myself – to stop looking at my plight – to stop focusing on myself and go back to focusing on serving my team.
“Look, kid – there’s no problem that a little service to others can’t solve. Impact your team, and it’ll all come back exponentially.”
You see, when we are focused on titles or our standing in an organizational chart, when we are worried about what others are thinking or saying about us, we can’t confidently move forward in our life’s mission. Titles don’t make us who we are. Although we affectionately refer to him as “The Colonel,” Dad was a Lt. Colonel at the end of his career. But to many, he might as well have been a five-star general. Because he focused on serving and making an impact, he led a team that completely changed how fighter jets and bombers fly and how they respond to radar. That brought thousands of pilots home safely who might not have otherwise survived. His title didn’t matter to him. His purpose did. Because of that, his team knew what was important about what they were doing and were willing to work hard with him regardless of his title.
Focus on serving others, not on a title, and it will never steer you wrong.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.