#984 You Are Royalty

In chess, the pawn is the lowliest piece; the weakest on the chessboard. It possesses the most negligible threat and is, therefore, undervalued. In fact, in our vernacular, it's a personal insult to call someone a pawn.

No one wants to be a pawn in someone else's game or have something pawned off on them.

Yet, a pawn may be a Queen in waiting. If a pawn makes it to the other side of the chessboard, it can be changed into a queen.

So how did that pawn manage to get to the other side to become a queen? It kept moving forward. It avoided confrontation. It stayed out of harm's way and kept going. It focused on the goal out in front of it.

It couldn't traverse the entire board as the rook, or the bishop does. There are no great leaps available to the pawn to soar across the expanse and land at the goal. It doesn't have the fancy dance steps of the knight either. The pawn simply continues forward, one square at a time.

I could wax poetic about the overlooked, undervalued Horatio Alger character that perseveres and comes out triumphant. Still, I think I already overplayed my hand, so let me complete the metaphor.

We in business development need that pawn-like persistence. We need to continue forward with our eye on the prize. No wild leaps, no fancy dance steps, just keep moving doggedly forward and claim our crown.

Own Your Sales Gene