TEN THOUSAND TIMES!
By now, many of us have heard the “rule” to expertise in any subject matter requires 10,000 hours for anyone to rise to the level of “expert”. Surely, such a standard misses the point that when you survey the top ten people who have reached that level, they will all agree with that logical point of achievement.
HOWEVER, it ignores all the others who put in the same work and did not reach that goal. (Think; how many of us were forced into piano practice as kids but refused to reach that level!)
THE TRUTH.
(Is much simpler!)
Success in any field is driven more by your desire to learn from someone who has already a proven record of such success. Combined with opportunity, you can achieve that success much faster and with far fewer battle scars. History is filled with examples of such success. From the days of learning at the elbow of the great masters of music or art, many students have risen to be acclaimed “genius”. The Samurai had a code of excellence that focused more on a lifetime of learning but honed the basics of their skills far earlier by training with the Sensei (master).
Recently, it was revealed that a particular firm has determined that their direct mail program, with our data and our continued input into their marketing program, was responsible for more than 40% of their new cases! That pathway started with a great deal of trial and error before they reached that level of success.
We are proud of the collaboration in helping them achieve this success, but the real accolades go to their staff who worked tirelessly in tweaking the materials constantly. Seeking opinions outside their own echo chambers and listening to others even when it did not agree with their own thoughts.
The “takeaway” from this real-life success story: Always seek out those who have done this before with success and NEVER lie on your laurels of success. Always stay on top of the process and constantly seek to make it better. And conversely treat your key staffers with respect and appreciation.
Lastly, remember to reward them when success comes your way!