teaching others | Dr. Ivan Misner®

Many people make the fatal mistake of assuming that others know a lot about their business. I heard a florist tell a networking group, “I’m not sure what else to say. You all know what a florist does, right?” Wrong! We didn’t know the variety of products this florist provided. He knew his business and assumed that everyone else knew it as well. Later, I asked him whether his shop was an FTD florist and . . .

Did he accept credit cards?
Did he offer seasonal specials for holidays? If so, which ones?
Did he handle emergency orders?
Could he do a good job for weddings?
Did he give a discount to members of his networking group?
Could I set up a billing arrangement with his company?
Could I order online?
Do certain colors of roses signify certain things?
What type of floral arrangement would be appropriate for a graduation?
Could he give me any tips on keeping flowers alive longer?
What was his most challenging order?

I told him there were hundreds of things I didn’t know about his business, and others surely felt the same way. Not using his time with the networking group to tell everyone something about his service was an opportunity lost.

Everyone has something he can say that will educate people about the services he has to offer. Don’t pass up a chance to teach people more about what you do!

Try making a list of questions, such as the ones above, that people might ask you about your business and then try focusing on answering one question each time you attend a networking meeting — you’d be surprised at the things people really have no idea that you do!

One of the subjects I get asked about often in interviews is leadership. I’ve learned quite a bit about leadership through my role as founder and chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business referral organization. But I’ve also been extremely privileged to be able to build relationships with and gain insight into the subject from some of the world’s top leaders in several fields and industries.

One of the first people who comes to mind when I think about what it means to be a true leader is my friend and colleague, Brian Tracy. Brian is the epitome of a leader–he is dedicated to succeeding by helping others succeed, and he uses his depth of experience to teach others how to become leaders themselves.

Brian has classified the key qualities of leadership as integrity, discipline, responsibility, courage and long-time perspective, and he lives his life according to those qualities. Brian was recently diagnosed with throat cancer and, true to the form of a leader who genuinely walks the walk, his positive attitude, courage and hopeful outlook for the future continue to remain rock solid.

Brian says, “When you think about it, having cancer can be a metaphor for any big problem or unexpected setback in life . . . I choose to see this as a ‘learning experience.’ Maybe I’ll develop a speech or seminar to share what I’ve learned, and the parallels with the ups and downs of normal life.”

Leadership is about using your experience and wisdom to move others in a positive direction; it’s about empowering others by serving as an example. Brian doesn’t just give presentations about leadership and advise others on how to be good leaders–he exemplifies everything a true leader should be, especially during times when it’s not easy to be in such a position.

Click here to see how Brian is continuing to inspire and motivate others through his experiences. We can all learn more than a thing or two about being a true leader from Brian Tracy.

If Brian has inspired you to accomplish your goals and lead yourself and others to success, tell us about it by leaving a comment below. You can also copy and paste your comment for Brian to read on his blog.

Business Networking

Being a True Leaderstring(19) "Being a True Leader"