Why talented people often fail... and what you can do about it.

I’ve always considered it one of the great ironies of life that talented people can often be passed over and ignored. Growing up I was told not to blow my own trumpet. I was told that good work always gets rewarded. I was told many well-intentioned lies. I’m even sure that they were believed or at least hoped to be true by those who repeated them.?

When I entered the coaching world back in 2003 I knew many good coaches and many really great coaches. I also knew many not so great coaches who were absolutely killing it in their businesses because they knew something the other coaches didn’t. They knew how to market themselves but more importantly, they knew they had to market themselves.?

Businesses the world over are full of talented people whose gifts are being squandered and remain unknown. Opportunities are being missed all day every day because people’s talents stay hidden and few have the desire or presence of mind to delve deeper into people’s capabilities. Keeping your head down and your nose to the grindstone is supposed to get you results but what does it really get you? Usually, a lifetime of being taken for granted.

It’s true everywhere: In the office where Debbie do nothing has the ear of the senior managers and seems to progress whilst Cassie works her butt off and gets ignored. For Phil Therum, who despite being a phenomenal speaker just doesn’t get bookings but sees many less gifted speakers in the spotlight. For Sally super coach who only a handful of clients paying ￡75 an hour who sees Chris Contrapreneur with his all style and no substance coaching raking in the money.?

It just doesn’t seem fair, does it?

What can be done? Do we all have to become masters of marketing and public braggarts? Thankfully we do not but we do have to, first of all, own our gifts and be willing to promote them. Your neighbours won’t know you own a Lamborghini if it never leaves the garage. Sometimes, you just have to put your assets on show for the world. Well, not the whole world but for the right audiences.

Think about it this way, it’s not just about you. If you have talents your company could be benefiting from and you are just secretly hoping that one day you get to show them or get asked about them, then you are doing a disservice to yourself and to the company.?

If you have gifts that can improve someone’s life, mindset, health, business or relationship but you don’t promote them, you are also doing a disservice to yourself and to all of them.?

We have to wake up to the fact that it’s not about us. It’s hard to do that because we’re so deeply involved in our own lives and we can’t escape our own minds. However, difficult is not the same as impossible. It’s not not about you though… it’s just about something bigger.?

I’m going to guess that you have a dream and desire to help make a difference in this world in whatever way you can. Am I right? Maybe you’re not sure you can really do it? Maybe you have already had a few tries and it didn’t go so well? Perhaps you are already on the journey but still struggling with impostor syndrome??

How can you get going and keep going with so many doubts and so many challenges??

Commit. Cut yourself off from any other option than to fulfil your chosen purpose and serve whomever you are best able to with the gifts and talents you have worked on and developed.

Be willing to give up your obscurity and some degree of privacy as you step into becoming a more public figure. No more hiding for you. It’s scary, I know, but you’re not doing it just for yourself.?

It’s time to get off the fence and stop allowing yourself to justify not being more visible. You don’t need to become the next Tony Robbins or Brené Brown but you do need to be willing to be seen and heard by the people you can help. Not just willing, hungry for it, an evangelist for your own mission.

As Mando, the Mandalorian says, ‘This is the way.’

Does this help? Because, frankly, if you’re not willing to be seen and heard, you’re wasting your time and you will be better off exploring options where you can remain anonymous.?

If you’re ready and willing to be seen and heard as an expert in your area, I want to help you step up. Not by selling you anything but by inviting you to my free Podcast Client Attraction Formula event.?

It’s going to be on the 20th of January at 4pm CET/3PM GMT/10am EST. It will be live on LinkedIn and I will be sharing how you can leverage the power of other people’s audiences to build your professional authority, your professional network and become well known for what you do. You’ll also learn how to use these opportunities to generate leads, get booked on top stages and create a flood of opportunities for yourself.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, register for the event and join me live.?

It will be live only with no replay, so it will be a be there or be somewhere not there situation. I’ll pack as much value as I can into 1 hour and stay some extra time for questions at the end.

If it’s not for you, no problem. You can check out the latest episode of Speaking Influence below instead. If it is for you but you can’t make this one, drop me a message and I’ll let you know when the next one will be.

I’d love to know what you think about the message of this newsletter, the Speaking Influence Podcast and if you’ll be joining me for the live event, so please feel free to drop me a direct message.?

Here’s to an amazing 2022.?

Go and make great things happen.