The majority of business people are less than successful, and some are downright unsuccessful, yet we are all capable of doing quite well… We just need to position ourselves to the top of the pyramid!
People in business generally fall into one of three categories – they are either ‘victors,’, ‘visitors’ or ‘victims’. The result they create can be seen in Figure 1:
…we voluntarily take the path that leads upwards or downwards in the performance pyramid, and most people are unaware of the direction they take as part of their daily decision
As you can see in the diagram, the few people at the top of the pyramid create the best results, the large number at the base attract little business… and the mass in the middle achieve average results. Despite these ‘positionings’, all of us are in fact designed to do very well – yet the majority of business people are less than successful, and some are downright unsuccessful.
Reasons People Fail
If the blueprint demands that we should all be achievers, why is it that so many people fail to make it to the highest point of the pyramid?
The answer is that we each choose where we want to be in the performance stakes. I don’t mean that individuals or companies set a goal to be average or to be failures; I mean that we voluntarily take the path that leads upwards or downwards in the performance pyramid, and most people are unaware of the direction they take as part of their daily decision.
For example, if you aim to be more valuable and therefore do more to learn and get better at your business role, you are choosing the path of the victor. Conversely, if you allow your growth to be determined and regulated by ‘the organisation’, then you will spend your commercial life in the middle of the pyramid… because the company will never be specifically focused on just you! The term ‘visitor’ is used to describe those in the middle area because they are like tourists in business, in the sense that while they are capable of operating at higher levels, their contributions are always of a temporary, ‘up and down’ nature. Ask any good manager what she or he needs most from team members and it is consistent achievement, on a growing basis.
The third choice is where the bulk of business people sit – if you resist organisational efforts to help you grow, and you also desist from helping yourself… then you will become a ‘victim’, and to make matters worse you will look and sound like one too!
The Pyramid Levels
At each level in the pyramid, people use their own form of language: ‘victors’ use terminology that supports their commitment to succeed, such as this kind of statement when faced with a disappointment: “OK, we’ll just have to figure out another way to get it done”… and then they do! This does not suggest that they are impervious to disappointment; it means that disappointment might exist ‘outside’ in the company or in the market, but it is never allowed to take root inside their mind.
On the other hand, when ‘visitors’ are faced with difficulties they worry, fret, occasionally protest (if this is possible), but ultimately they accept bad news with this kind of language: “This is a real nuisance, however there’s nothing I can do about it”, and so they don’t fight back… and then the external ‘nuisance’ guides their internal drive to perform.
When ‘victims’ hear bad news, they complain and then seek other victims to swap complaints with, until they feel that they are casualties to be pitied and forgiven. As they say, “misery loves company”.
The mentality of those in the pyramid is as follows:
- Victims expect and wait for problems, and if ideas are provided to them they look for and somehow find negatives… and so they shrink in value and enjoyment
- Visitors are dependent on being ‘chosen’ by customers or management for higher, more rewarding roles… at which time they will give more of themselves, when possible
- Victors pursue progress in action, results and enjoyment, and they use resources that are near and far… but mostly they are resourceful and grow from the inside, out.
Success and personal satisfaction are not found in markets or companies; they exist within people… and they are realised and developed as they are given out. So if giving is getting, are you getting enough?
