Posts by Will Turner

If you know anything about my professional career, I’ve done a lot of work in the broad area of peak performance, but more than anything else I’m branded as a business development and sales guru. I wear that badge with pride since I’ve been teaching sales and management teams how to sell with complete integrity and go against the grain of what is common practice for many years. I know what works and what doesn’t and I see much more of the “what NOT to do” when I’m meeting with potential clients or seeing what is being disseminated out there under the guise of effective sales training. Lately, I’ve seen a pattern of developing conditions that most organizations are failing to address properly. So my bold prediction is this: The tipping point is...

I was reading a blog article this morning on 40 tips for a better life. It was full of  snippets that we’ve all heard before but are great reminders none-the-less. One of the items struck me though. Not because I find it to be true. But because it is what most people do, and what I refuse to follow. The item was: Don’t overdo. Know your limits. Now, an argument could easily be made for not overdoing things that really don’t matter. I think we all can get caught up in stuff that, in the long run, really doesn’t make a meaningful difference. And if that’s the case, I whole-heartedly agree…”don’t overdo.” But the second part of the tip – “Know your limits” –  tells me that is not what the original author had in mind. The truth...

I was conducting a mentoring workshop for a new client last week and the question came up, “What about having those tough conversations?” The president of the association was raising a concern that many of us have. How do you approach a sensitive and potentially challenging conversation with someone you are mentoring? Of course, it doesn’t matter if you’re in a mentoring role or not, the answer is the same. The core currency in any relationship, whether it’s a mentoring relationship, a relationship with a colleague or a personal relationship, is trust. If you’ve established a relationship based on trust, giving (and receiving) difficult feedback is going to be easier. So if you build relationships based on trust, you will be in a better position to...

Having spent the last two decades working with individuals and teams to improve performance, I’m constantly amazed that even when people want change and give it lip service, they fall woefully short. It’s usually not because they don’t’ want to get better. It’s simply that they don’t know how to make learning and development stick. The problems or potential pitfalls are many but four of the biggest obstacles to your future success and ongoing growth boil down to: 1. Not figuring out what you need to focus on. In other words, accepting the status quo and getting lulled into a comfortable place where you don’t stretch and grow. So step one is to decide where you want and need to grow and develop as an Association. The biggest mistake that most...

Your success today may actually be giving your future a strangling choke-hold. In fact, I would argue that your past success may be your biggest threat for a bright future. Sounds counterintuitive, I know. The problem is that success breeds contentment and satisfaction. It causes us to feel like we “made it.” And that is a very dangerous place to be for both individuals and organizations. That’s because our success often leads us to stop taking risks, stop innovating and stop growing. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Right? Last week, I spent a couple days with a group of senior leaders from a Farm Credit Association. The average tenure of the participants with the organization was over 25 years. While the room was full of wisdom and experience, it was...