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Genius Insight

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I’m all over Jim Rohn‘s insights. I mentioned in a recent post that I’d take talent over experience. So would Jim, I believe.

In a recent newsletter article Jim wrote, he makes it simple: “Good people are found, not changed.” A bit more from Jim:

Motivation is a mystery. Why are some people motivated and some are not? Why does one salesperson see his first prospect at seven in the morning while the other sees his first prospect at 11 in the morning? Why would one start at seven and the other start at 11? I don’t know. Call it “mysteries of the mind.”

…Don’t waste your time trying to turn ducks into eagles. Hire people who already have the motivation and drive to be eagles and then just let them soar.

I also like the add-on post at Simplenomics from Mike Sigers (always good stuff over there) about giving employees more rope (leeway/responsibility/opportunity) vs. ridiculous incremental bonuses.

As a manager, you’ve got to think about this. Watch the signals you send to people for their excellent performance. Significant raise or significant improvements in leeway?

4 Responses to “Genius Insight”

  1. Mike Sigers wrote:
    April 10, 2006 at 3:07 pm

    Thanks for the kind words.

    As for the first part of the post, here’s my advice:

    In your day to day life you come across great ” sales ” or ” customer service ” people, don’t just pass them by, give them a card and talk more with them later.

    I’ve found the best sales/customer service people by observing them at work and telling them to call me on their own time. I then tell them what industry we’re in and let them know if they ever want to seek other employment to call me.

    Don’t train sales people, find sales people and hire them. same with customer service employees.

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  2. Brad Isaac wrote:
    April 10, 2006 at 6:15 pm

    I’ve been a fan of Jim Rohn for years. He always has a way to get under your skin with his words.

    This post reminds me of something Trump said. “If management at a job is mediocre then all the excellent people will leave, leaving all the mediocre people behind.”

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  3. Brandon wrote:
    April 10, 2006 at 7:39 pm

    Thanks Mike, thanks Brad.

    A follow-up thought on attracting talent that I’ve seen play out too many times: A managers may hire A+ players, ready for whatever comes from hiring superior talent; but B managers hire C or worse, afraid of being challenged.

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