66 - Leading with Significance w/ Jerome Myers
43:34 Share

Our guest on the Catapulting Commissions podcast this week has a firm grasp on what leadership really is. Right now is one of the most challenging times in sales history for leaders to adapt and pivot with their people. Jerome Myers is the preeminent authority on dream realization. He believes dreams can, and should, be real. He left his corporate job when he realized his role offered financial gain, but little significance. Now, he’s sharing how he created a life of impact with those he works with. 

Jerome took the red pill. He had a career built on financial security and made the choice to leave. From his perspective, he put a lot of his efforts, skills, and knowledge into a company that felt little to nothing about him or his team. He didn’t eat, he didn’t sleep, all he did was toil about who he would decide had a job and who wouldn’t. After that experience, he knew he would never do it again. You can either be complacent to that culture, or you can say that “the buck stops with me.” The difference-maker was that he started to bet on himself--he became the decision-maker. He notes that you find out a lot about individuals when it comes to career progression and money. Jerome aimed to make those difficult conversations as objective as possible. When he was asked “why me?” he had to get to the math--who was the most productive with the time they had? 

Jerome finds himself making objective choices or teaching others how to every day. He believes that the way you do one thing is the way you do everything. If you’re making emotionally-driven decisions everywhere you go, you’re going to be in a space where you can be controlled and one where you’re not making the best choices. Everything boils down to two aspects: the math problem and how it feels. Once you get through the math aspect, you now know that the math gave you one answer--if you chose to go against it, you have to be aware of the consequences that could come with it. If you go with it, you have to make sure it still stands the eye test. 

Avoiding direct feedback is avoiding the problem. When that happens, says Jerome, things can blow up into a catastrophe. People get blindsided, confused, and angry. If you can clearly communicate expectations, you can clearly discuss outcomes--positive or negative. That gives people their ability to plan their lives. As leaders, it’s important to show compassion through feedback so your team can make adjustments. You can guide people to your system so the impact is felt everywhere. The best relationships are ones that are invested in the person. Don’t romanticize the business either--there are no participation trophies in sales. At the end of the day, sales professionals need to complete the cycle. If not, there’s no paycheck. Getting clear on that will allow you to communicate even more clearly what it is you need from your team. Remember, recognition is a powerful tool in this space--either giving or withholding--it evokes emotion. When you set the bar for everyone, you’re not excluding anyone from the recognition, they are excluding themselves. As Jerome says, the place is set--come sit when you’re ready to eat.

It’s about not becoming a puppet to HR, to the toxic, tight-lipped culture. As a leader, you are a person who is entrusted with the wellbeing of a team and the people you oversee. When you become a puppet, you lose their respect. 

Jerome’s philosophy in his work is that everyone should take the red pill. His model is built on six levels: Self Image, Relationships, Work, Health, Prosperity, Significance. Being able to positively impact those around you is the end game for everyone--that’s significance. You give your overflow to prosperity--we believe in abundance. If you have prosperity before health, your health will rob you of your prosperity. Work, Relationships, and Self Image are the nucleus of where stress starts. When you can control those three you can control influences that can negatively impact your life. If you’re not who you want to be, then become the person you feel you should be. That authenticity will change the world. 

When it’s time to create a life of significance and make the transition Jerome is talking about, you have to have a conversation about your needs and wants and the differences between the two. We’re doing the math here. Consider what you’re spending on, how much you’re spending, and if you absolutely need it. It’s not about what you want, it’s about what you’re willing to sacrifice to get what you need. We have a fear of “going backward” or “downgrading” but if your freedom is what’s most important to you, you’ll be willing to do that (temporarily) to make it happen. 

Fix the hole in your soul, and you won’t need the extras.

LINKS

Jeromemyers.co