By Liz Uram
Do you ever avoid taking action because you’re worried about what might happen? If so, repeat after me: I am responsible for the effort, not the outcome. Simply put, you need to do the necessary things, the right things, and the important things.
This is one of my favorite philosophies and it has come up a couple of times recently. One related to marketing and one related to handling difficult conversations with employees. Whether it’s reaching out to prospects or having tough conversations with employees, remember that you are responsible for the effort, not the outcome. You can’t possibly predict how someone will respond and really your only responsibility is the effort.
What holds people back from making the effort is the fear of how others will, or won’t, respond. Sometimes the response is positive and sometimes it’s not but we have to make the effort but do we really have an alternative? Certainly not if we’re trying to build a business or be a good leader. Good business people and good leaders don’t avoid doing the hard things. They can’t or they won’t be in their position for long.
The number one reason self-employed business owners don’t send out a newsletter consistently is that they are afraid of getting unsubscribes from their list. The reality is it’s going to happen. It happens to me every week. Who knows why people on your list unsubscribe. The reason doesn’t matter anyway. You can’t control that outcome. If you avoid sending a newsletter because of the people who might not want it you’re cheating all the people who do want to hear what you have to say. There are plenty of those.
If I quit making the effort every time the outcome didn’t turn out in my favor I wouldn’t be in business. Just yesterday I got not one, but two, rejections for speaking engagements I applied for. Two in one day! Ouch. Should I quit making the effort? Of course not! I have no choice but to persist if I want to use speaking as a marketing tool. And I do, in fact it’s my highest priority. Good thing my calendar is full of other opportunities including a trip out East for two speaking engagements, and an interview with a host from Canada. The only reason my calendar is full is because I made the effort and didn’t worry about the outcome. More importantly, I continue to make the effort in spite of an occasional no.
The point? You won’t always get the outcome you want so let it go and focus on the positive outcomes you do get. And don’t worry, you will get them. As long as you keep making the effort.
Request your free eBook, Boost Your Business!
