When Lincoln appointed Ulysses Grant as General of the
Army in March of 1864, the selection bypassed over 200 senior generals.
For the North, the Civil War was not going as well as Lincoln thought it
should – Grant was winning battles, the other generals were not.
When one of
the President’s aides pointed out that he had picked a man who was well known
for his alcohol consumption, the President said “Find out what brand he drinks
and send a barrel to all our other generals.”
Lincoln
chose Grant because of his strengths. A
general’s job is to decide which battles to fight, best organize his resources
to
fight them, and win. Grant passed
this test.
Lincoln
ignored Grant’s drinking, and perhaps-other shortcomings as well.
The President knew that whoever he selected would have his own
shortcomings. So Lincoln made his
decision based on Grant's strengths.
And the
point?
The point is
that the same logic holds true for yourself.
When you’re looking at a prospective task, job, relationship, or
anything else, what is important are the strengths you bring.
If the battle plays well to your strengths, the things you cannot do
won’t matter. The things you
cannot do will not stop you from succeeding.
That’s the
point.
And what
does this have to do with you?
A lot I
think.
Choose and
address your tasks wisely.
Editor's Note: Grant
Stellwagen is an author and professional salesperson who lives in St. Louis,
MO. Prior to launching AspireNow, I had the unique opportunity to work
with Grant at DecisionOne and Data General. Grant is one of the savviest
and most successful salespeople I've known. With over 10 years' success
achieving various 100%+ sales achievement and "Inner Circle" or
"President's Club" awards, Grant's phenomenal track record in selling
speaks volumes for his success. Click
here to see Grant's Bio. You may reach Grant at 417-858-9191.
