Desire and Drive

The Essential Components of Success

Throughout much of my career, I have been directly responsible for the initial recruitment, selection, training, and career development of many successful sales professionals. From entry level positions, through the strategic leadership level, I have learned that the greatest predictor of long-term success has little to do with how “experienced or talented” one is when first venturing into a new opportunity. Instead, I have discovered that the essential components for long-term success simply boil down to one’s level of desire and drive! When people possess a true desire to help others, along with the drive to do whatever it takes to reach their objectives, any potential experience or talent deficiencies are quickly overcome.

At the most fundamental level, experience can be defined as: the total accumulation of lessons learned. It represents nothing more than the depth of someone’s accessible potential in any given moment, with the operative word being potential. Without the desire and drive necessary to do something meaningful with their potential, the level of one’s “experience” is rendered quite worthless.

There is a popular maxim telling us that “knowledge is power”. I have a slightly different opinion. Yes, knowledge is important, but not necessarily powerful. In its purest form, knowledge represents little more than the ongoing collection of interesting information. Rather, it is the application of knowledge that becomes powerful. This is exactly where desire and drive step in. One must have the necessary desire and drive to continually apply their knowledge before it becomes powerful!

Take a look around you. All of us know someone who fits the profile of the classic underachiever. Although they may possess all the knowledge they need to achieve greatness, they default to the comfort of complacency in exchange for average performance and results. What’s missing? Desire and drive!

My recruiting and development philosophy is simple. If you possess enough desire and drive, it will take you anywhere you want to go. Experience and talent will ultimately follow.