Lesson #9 (Everyone Has Problems)

Everyone has problems.

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Leaders and distributors face the same problems every day. Leaders don't become leaders because of a lack of problems. They become leaders because of how they think and handle problems.

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>> Leadership thinking.

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How would a leader think when confronted with the exact same backorder situation?

A leader might think:

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'Whoa, the product's back ordered. These products are so much in demand that even if my customers give me money, they still can't get the product. It's so exclusive and selling so well, the company can't keep the products in stock. My new customer is going to be so impressed, he'll probably order two or three times more product to make sure he can get some. That means two or three times more product volume for me, and two or three times the bonus check. Wow! I hope they bring on some more backorders - yes!

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'Would you characterize this as leadership thinking or as distributor thinking? It's obvious - this is leadership thinking and you would get leadership results because of this thinking.

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>> Here is what distributors don't know.

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It doesn't cost anything to change your thinking. Most distributors think:

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'Well, I'm stuck with one kind of thinking. There's no way that I can change it. This is the only way to look at situations.

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'This I can't change my thinking' view point comes from years of conditioning from parents, teachers, friends, and employers. But this viewpoint isn't true.

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Of course, we can all change our thinking - if we want to. But how do you convince your potentialleader that he can change his thinking?

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>> With a story.

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Stories are the best way to change people's thinking. They are easy to remember, and your potential leader can see himself in the story. He can identify with the story.

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To help your potential leader see that changing one's thinking is possible, try sharing a story similar to this:

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Imagine that you're driving along one day and a green Mustang automobile almost forces you off the road. The driver appears to be a young teenager and he is obviously speeding. How do you feel? What do you think about the driver?

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If your potential leader answers honestly, he'll say:

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'I don't like that teenager. He's reckless and I almost had an accident. Someone should report him to the police and have him arrested.

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'Later that day you get a call from the hospital. It's from your son. Your son says, 'Hi. Just wanted to let you know that the doctors said that I'm going to be okay. I fell off my bike and suffered a serious cut. I could have bled to death, but fortunately a teenager in a green Mustang was driving by. He picked me up and raced me to the hospital just in time.

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'Now, ask your potential leader this:

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'What do you think about that teenage driver now?

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'If your potential leader answers honestly, he'll say:

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'You're right. I did change my thinking, and it didn't cost me anything. The situation was the same. And you know what? I could have chosen to change my thinking about that teenage driver even if I didn't get that additional information. You're right. I can change my thinking any time I choose.

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'Now that your potential leader understands that he can change his thinking, you'll want to teach him this.

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Point out that there are two ways of thinking - leadership thinking and distributor thinking. If you think like a leader you'll get leader results and if you think like a distributor, you'll get distributor results.

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Then give your potential leader a big dose of personal responsibility. Tell him:

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'I'm not going to change your thinking. That's up to you. If you want distributor results, think like a distributor. If you want leadership results, think like a leader. It's strictly up to you which results you want. Pick the results you want in your life, and then you'll know which type of thinking to choose.

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'This is a big step -- but this is the only way you effectively build a leader. Because if you don't do this, you're going to spend a lifetime fixing all their problems, answering all their questions, holding their hands, and trying to re-motivatethem after every challenge.

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>> Okay, okay. So what exactly will I teach them?

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Let's make this concrete here.

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First, write down all the everyday problems you encounter in your business.

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Second, for each problem, write down what would represent leadership thinking and what would represent distributor thinking.

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And third, write down any appropriate stories that you could tell your potential leader to help him change his thinking from distributor thinking to leadership thinking.

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That's it. That's what you're going to have to teach them. Let's write down some common problems and how we'll teach our potential leader to change his thinking.