There’s this little dance we do in sales. Some days we glide forward. On other days, we trip over our own feet. Welcome to the sales cha-cha.
Here’s the truth no one likes to say out loud:
You are responsible for your own success.
Full stop. No wiggle room.
What Real Personal Responsibility Looks Like:
🔑 Owning your moves — forward and backward — as a result of the choices you make.
🔍 Recognizing that your behavior impacts outcomes before they happen.
📈 Being realistic about cause and effect — even when the outcome surprises you.
Here’s where it gets tricky:
Salespeople tend to take the blame for everything that goes wrong…
…but forget to take credit when it goes right.
🔻 Lost the deal? Sure, there’s something you could’ve done differently.
🔺 Closed the deal? That’s on you too — own it!
You showed up. You prepped. You pivoted when things got messy.
Celebrate the right outcome as a result of the right effort.
One More Thing: Don’t Carry What Isn’t Yours
Let’s not confuse personal responsibility with global ownership.
You are not in charge of:
- Your customer’s emotions
- Your competitor’s pricing
- Your prospect ghosting for a week
When something happens that’s outside your control:
- Be present
- Be responsive
- Take action where you can
And then?
Let go of the rest. Don’t assign blame where none belongs.
To your success,
Lynn
P.S. If your team needs real-talk coaching on what it means to take ownership — especially without burning out — I’m your person. Let’s talk about building character and accountability that sticks.