Iron Sharpens Iron

Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

Iron sharpens iron

Have you ever played a round of golf with people who were better than you? I’m guessing that you played a little better than normal. Your focus was a notch higher than usual. Your concentration was dialed in. Your course management was thought out a few seconds longer on each shot.

Iron sharpens iron

You’re a casual runner, usually jogging a few miles at a moderate pace. One day you are invited to join some guys who run each day. You know they run faster than you but you accept anyway. Somewhat surprisingly, you keep the pace and really don’t feel that much worse for the wear when you’re done.

Iron sharpens iron

You block out time on your schedule to review the data, analyze and re-analyze the statistics and practice your presentation a few times before walking on the stage or in to the meeting with potential clients. You nail every one of  your “talking points” and nary an objection is raised, even though you were prepared to handle those too.

Iron sharpens iron

You get in the office early and stay late, because that’s when the all-stars in your office, company and business are there. You listen for any nugget of wisdom, pay attention to one side of a client conversation or glance over to see a website or tool they use to accomplish their job. If the opportunity arises, you request a meet-up over coffee, lunch or beers at the end of the day to learn any insights, tips or tricks from him or her. Even if it’s just anecdotes and war stories, you listen for a hidden secret or moral of every story.

Iron sharpens iron

You read books, listen to webinars, attend industry conferences and take classes because you can never know everything. You never limit your learning to the industry you’re in because that’s not the way the world works. You expose yourself to speakers, podcasts and videos from industries like marketing, technology, economics, entertainment and science because there is always something you can take away or relate to what you do.

Iron sharpens iron

You seek opportunities to be a leader, knowing that many times, the teacher learns as much as the student. You can spend you life getting sharpened or doing the sharpening. Either way, iron sharpens iron.

Build relationships, solve problems and have fun

Photo Credit: Pasukaru76

Photo Credit: Elvert Barnes