By Billie Jean King

I found this quote a couple of years ago and now I keep it tacked on my bulletin board. There was a time I didn’t really understand what Ms. King meant by this quote. I thought, “How can anyone be afraid of winning?” After all, isn’t that the American way? So imagine my surprise when I recently met two colleagues at a local networking event who admitted they were afraid.

You see for about a month I’ve been speaking on topics such as The Four Secrets of Successful People and Inspiring Change. In both speeches a key to success is understanding how your thinking acts as a catalyst for your personal results. So imagine my astonishment when my colleague confessed being afraid to take an assessment that provides insights into the mechanics of how one thinks!

On the other hand, I was delighted to hear this comment. Why? Because about 300+ people have heard me speak and were given the opportunity to take the assessment for free. But less than 5% have actually taken me up on this incredible free offer. So I’ve been truly perplexed as to why more people aren’t beating down my door to take the assessment and find out what’s holding them back from achieving their goals.

So after hearing he was afraid my mind started racing. I thought, “What could I have done to provoke this kind of fear?” So I mustered up the courage and said, “What’s that fear about?” “The assessment takes 15 minutes plus I’ll help you understand how to use the information to create a winning plan.” “Others who’ve taken it have told me, “This is an amazing offer!”

My colleague said, “I know all that and I believe it. But I’m afraid if I take the assessment, I’ll find out I’m in the wrong profession. I’ll find out I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do.” Then what!?!

WOW! There it was! The fear that prevents us from winning from being fulfilled. I nodded and others listening to our conversation began to echo the same sentiment. I vowed to call him and promised my support on his journey to a winning professional life.

For me, the best thing I can do is get my fears out in the open. The light of day somehow diminishes their affect on me. A champion understands how their mind evaluates and interprets experiences. The mind of a champion is focused on what it takes to continually get better results. A champion is not afraid of changing when what they’ve been doing won’t get or keep that competitive edge.

So are you living your life like a champion afraid of losing or everyone else afraid of winning?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how do you stay focused on continually getting better results.

Coach HR specializes in helping executives and their teams achieve peak performance. Achieve Top Level Performance; Bottom Line Results. Denise Cooper is President/CEO of Coach HRLLC. She is a professional speaker and coach ready to help you and your team achieve peak performance. www.coachhr.com

We’re all looking to stay at the top of our game. After all, in these times it’s a high stakes game. But what does it mean to “Keep your game on point?” For some it’s about keeping a job or growing your career. For others it’s about living their dream life – smart, successful kids, healthy lifestyle and being in a loving relationship. No matter how you define “your end game”, what’s important is to know no one is ever successful without the help of others. Success is all about relationships. So Like David Letterman’s Top Ten I’m going to give you my top 5 tips on how to keep your game on point.

5. Network –Truly successful people do it often. They build relationships that allow them to get things done easily and fluidly. They network regularly and pay attention to the people in their network so it will always be there to serve.

4. Know How to Network Well! – Networking is a mixture of art and science. Many people are poor networkers. They go to meetings and collect cards or search for business opportunities. You know a successful networker when they pick up the phone and say “Jim, I have the perfect person for you to meet!” Then hand you the phone and things happen. Learn the skills that enable you to be a power networker.

3. Set Your Intention – Before going into any networking environment know what you want to create. Do you want to gather a dozen business cards or identify the top 3 – 5 people with whom you can develop a relationship with. Your intention should be based upon finding people who have mutual values and open to share.

2. Give the Gift of Your Presence – The most valuable gift you have is your presence. When you show up it means that your attention is in the room or on the person you are speaking with. Ask great questions and listen more than you speak. Remember to smile and turn off that cell phone. Give your full attention.

1. Suspend Judgment- The last tip is to suspend judgment of others. You have to believe whomever you bump into is someone you are supposed to meet. Let go of any initial negative thoughts and don’t go in sizing up people to see if they can help you. The secret is no matter how good you think you are at hiding your feelings everyone can see them. Remember we live in a polite society. When we are with someone who’s not interested in us we simply smile and move away.

Charlotte has a lot of networking groups. Make it a goal to go to one every week. Practice these five skills and you’ll be on your way to generating leads.