by Tim Roberts
The much noted and quoted psychiatrist Carl Jung said, "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." I'm not sure how you might interpret his statement, but I know what it means for me---every time I criticize someone else's behavior, it only reflects my own shortcomings. Where self awareness is absent, judgment arises.
Judging others has a weird way of diminishing integrity. It speaks loudly of our own insecurities and fears. Whether we're judging total strangers at the Castleton Mall, bashing a buyer who just slighted us, or throwing a colleague or competitor under a swiftly moving city bus, we lose credibility.
We judge largely to maintain our own self-worth. That's why the Jerry Springer Show exists---so that people who don't feel good about themselves can feel superior. Slap a label on some other knucklehead and you can get to feelin' pretty good, pretty quick. Judging others has always been an effective antidote for whatever ails us.
There's no place for judgment in sales. It hampers focus. The man-hours lost to competitor judgment, customer judgment, and colleague judgment in boardrooms and sales cubicles is a drain on domestic output. You cannot make the move from sales rep to trusted advisor as long as judgment is your baggage.
At Sandler Training, Trustpointe, we help our clients keep their focus. We remind them that there are no bad prospects, only bad salespeople. To learn more about improving your own self awareness, contact Tim at tim@thetrustpointe.com or call 317.845.0041.
And judge no man.
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