A guiding principle of mine is that I am responsible for the results of my encounters. 

I have found that my attitude, belief, approach, or response shapes much of my experience.

“Unless people are more than commonly disagreeable, it is my foolish habit to contract a kindness for them. The better part of my companion’s character, if it has a better part, is that which usually comes uppermost in my regard, and forms the type whereby I recognize the man.”

I’ve always loved that line from the reverend Dimmesdale in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.

The reverend is choosing to see the better part of someone’s character and identifying him by that better part. What do you imagine the results of your encounters would be if you approached each one with this “foolish habit?”

Let’s think about it, oppositely. What is the likely result of an encounter if you enter it believing that the other person is disagreeable, unwelcoming, dishonest, stupid, insensitive, uncaring, egotistical, or overbearing?  

If I am to believe that I am responsible for the results of my encounters, then I must choose to enter those encounters giving myself the best odds of a positive outcome, and I believe Dimmesdale’s “foolish habit” tips the scales in my favor a majority of the time.  

The caveat here is that he says Unless people are more than commonly disagreeable.

There are oafs and miscreants to steer clear of, and I do my best to avoid them, but more often than not, with the population at large, my approach is the difference-maker.

In sales, and in most other professions, excellent communication equals an excellent living. Take responsibility for the results of your encounters;

Own Your Sales Gene…