What I see more than anything else from the business owners and leaders I work with is their deep-seated craving to have a powerhouse team of empowered, autonomous (but still human) selling machines.

I mean, just imagine…

What the appointment board would look like if your booking rate increased by 10% to 20%; what your revenue would be if you added $1,000 to your average sale; how much easier it would be if you doubled your closing ratio.

Did your eyes do that crazy dollar sign thing?

Gallup has reported no change in employee productivity, engagement, or morale for over 30 years. Clearly, something has to give at the top of organizations if we ever hope to shift the odds in our favor as business owners.

The blind spot of most business owners occurs directly at EBITDA Net Profits.

When we’re making money…when we’re growing fast…when we begin to believe our fecal matter no longer possesses a pungent scent, we lose sight of the long-game for what we have right in front of us…money.

We flex our EBITDA, our top-line revenue, or gross profit. After all, these hard facts symbolize our prowess; our worth; our genius. Right! right?

This is all to say, we no longer see the forest for the trees.

When we focus on the details that do not matter, we fail to see and nurture the individuals that helped us get there. With enough neglect, these people abandon you to create their own forest.

The truth is, even when we are flying high, we can always improve on those things we believe “work”.

And do you know what we really take for granted?

Our character.

When did we abandon what we believed when we were struggling to succeed? When did the indignation, arrogance, and bravado seep in? It’s like we take change and suggestion as an affront to our intelligence. We no longer believe we have anything new to learn.

I also catch myself suffering from this blindness. I too enjoy abundance, success, and wealth. I too am confident and resolute in what I sell. So, I write this as a reminder to myself as much as a warning for you. After all, it is but the human condition.

It is time we embraced a code again.

A code that encapsulates our values…our intent…our actions, and behavior.

This code already exists.

This code means different things to different people while simultaneously clear and understandable to everyone.

This code steers every decision and choice a person makes.

This code symbolizes positive intent.

This code frees leaders to trust their people implicitly.

This code empowers.

This code clears the way for autonomy.

This code unifies and bonds your tribe.

This code ensures success.

It’s more than a forgettable mission, a prideful purpose, or an audacious goal.

It is a decision.

It is a ritual.

It is a symbol.

It is a catalyst.

Organizations and individuals operating at the highest levels of performance all follow an unrelenting code.

Derived from years of research and hundreds of companies, this code has lived in the hearts of many for hundreds, even thousands of years. This code is the catalyst for all policy, procedures, pricing, selection, compensation, recruitment, and communication, both inside and out of the organization.

The code is where all successful exponential profitable growth begins.