Ah yes, the freedom that is sales. There are a lot of perceived perks when people talk to you about being in sales and one that often rises to the top is the flexibility you have and your ability to “be your own boss.” Yep, you pretty much can do whatever you want whenever you want…..or so I originally thought. Early in my career for example, Friday’s at Wrigley Field were the norm more than the exception. Yes, there was nothing better than “being my own boss”
It didn’t take long for me to learn that the whole “being your boss” mentality, the way I was interpreting it, was nothing but a short-sighted ideal that ultimately would most likely lead to the same fate as many actual bosses - being out of work. See, it’s not the phrase that’s short-sighted; it’s the mentality of what it actually means.
When you are the boss there is nobody to point the finger at if goals aren’t met and even if there is a very good reason why a goal wasn’t met, nobody cares. When you are the boss you have to find a way because it’s your butt on the line and no one else’s. If one angle isn’t working, it’s up to you to find another one that might.
The point isn’t that it’s wrong to take advantage of the flexibility being in sales can offer. Trust me, for each of those Friday’s at Wrigley I can remember many more evenings stuck in an airport trying to find a way home before midnight. The point is that “being your own boss” doesn’t mean using your flexibility to get out of your responsibilities, it means taking responsibility for achieving your goals.
As our forefathers taught us, freedom is earned!
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