Do Business Well

With all of this talk about the importance of implementing a personal development program, you might say, how is this possible? How do these people have time or resources for reading books and listening to CDs? How am I going to afford a three-day intensive workshop, or scarier yet, long-term one-on-one coaching? And if this kind of training has such an impact, not only on the individual but also on the companies they represent, why don’t employers make this training easier to pursue?

Unfortunately, all too many people don’t get past these questions and end up doing nothing to enhance their personal development, even on a basic level. As I mentioned earlier, most people will never even pick up a book again after graduating from high school. At the Persuasion Institute, we found that less than 5 percent of the population will ever attend a seminar in their lifetime unless it is required by the job, and even among rookie persuaders, most will attend only one.

Further aggravating the issue is that those we’d hoped would support and advocate such training do not. Many bosses and managers are so busy that they don’t invest in training, even for themselves. And if they don’t see the value in getting it for themselves, they most assuredly won’t see the value in investing in it for employees. Often they don’t believe that training will truly enhance performance, or they need assurance of a guaranteed outcome.

It is amazing to hear average persuaders say, “I already know all this stuff,” or “I heard that before.” Then you ask them why they are not more successful. You’d better duck as the rationalization, excuses, and blame come out. You will never hear a top persuader say, “I’ve heard that before.” They always say, “I appreciate the review.” There is always something to work on, a skill to fine-tune, or a fundamental to practice. Can you imagine a professional basketball player refusing to constantly and consistently practice the fundamentals? You will never hear, “I’m doing OK at shooting free throws—I don’t need to practice anymore. I already know how to do it.” Do you think there are any concert pianists who don’t practice every day?

Great persuaders, on average, set aside 5 to 10 percent of their annual income for personal development. If you’re skeptical about incorporating a personal development program into your own life or into your workplace, remember that personal development is a good investment—just like a great tax accountant. Great tax accountants always pay for themselves and then some. So it is with personal development. The return on investment dramatically outweighs any financial pinch you may feel up front. The Persuasion Institute found that average persuaders spend one to five hours a week on personal development. And what do they get? Average results. Guess how much time top persuaders spend on personal development? Five to ten hours per week—and it shows. In another study, we found that only 5 percent of active full-time persuaders ever invest in their own personal growth. And you guessed it—they earn the top 5 percent of income.

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