In his groundbreaking sales book You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar, David Sandler first introduced me to the concept of trapping yourself.  Since that time I have visited with leaders who consistently use this trick on themselves.

When you know you should (or want to) do something but are afraid you might procrastinate yourself right out of getting it done, trap yourself.  Sometimes it is something as simple as telling other people that you’re going to do it.  Then you find it harder to back down once you’ve publicly declared yourself.  I teach sales people to plant a “referral seed” when they get a signed agreement by saying something like, “In thirty to sixty days when I check back to make sure things are going ok, would it be alright if I asked if you knew of others who might benefit from what I do?”  Now you’ve trapped yourself into asking for a referral by telling the buyer that you’re going to do it.

I learned the lesson dramatically when I turned 50 years old and my wife and I paid off our home.  I found my motivation for working drop dramatically when I shed that debt.  I realized that I wasn’t ready to slow down..  So . . . my wife, Sue, and I moved to a larger home and put in a swimming pool.  My motivation came back almost instantaneously.

If you as a leader really desire to accomplish a goal, don’t be afraid to trap yourself (and you might even teach your followers the trick too).

Categories: Learning

Tags: learning