Did you know that Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Charles Lindberg were good friends?

They had homes in Florida and often fished, dined, and socialized together. These highly successful men shared similar interests and philosophies, and through their individual perspectives and ideas, they challenged, sharpened, and expanded each other’s thinking.

We become greater by association. Connecting with others and building mutually beneficial relationships will leverage your efforts to realize your full potential.

My new book, The Potential Principle, offers four powerful tools for creating breakout improvement on your journey toward bettering your best. I’ve told you about two of these tools, disrupt yourself and (re)focus. This week, I want to talk about the third one:

Engage others to avail yourself of their wisdom and help.

If you want to be all you can be, you must take responsibility for your own success and do the work it takes to achieve it. At the same time, you can and should look to others for ideas, mentoring, coaching, encouragement, and more. Engaging with the right people will help you go farther faster.

The knowledge you glean from the experience of someone you admire and respect will cut years off your learning curve. It will help you replicate their victories and, hopefully, avoid some of their failures.

But as my friend Larry Winget says, be careful who you take advice from. Listen to people who have actually done something, not someone who just talks about doing it. To become the best, engage the best.

Who are the best people in your field or area of interest? Are you familiar with the top performers? Look to them as an example to learn from and emulate. Consider asking one of these winners to advise, coach, or mentor you on a regular basis.

A good mentor will put you miles ahead on the road to success. Anders Ericsson, author of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, writes, “The most optimal way to improve your performance is to find a teacher who has been teaching other people to reach the level of performance that you want to attain.”

Remember, others can help you get better, but they can’t make you get better. Their concern, aid, and support can only benefit you when you are willing to do what is necessary to reach your goals. If you’re up for the challenge, however, engage others as you strive for improvement. It will turbocharge your efforts and enrich your life!

Order The Potential Principle at http://bit.ly/potentialprinciple.

New York Times bestselling author Mark Sanborn’s new book The Potential Principle: A Proven System for Closing the Gap Between How Good You Are and How Good You Could Be is scheduled to release September 5, 2017 and provides a map and method for becoming better than best. By identifying the four key areas in which growth is possible—thinking, performing, learning, and reflecting—and applying the four tools of improvement in those areas—disrupt, refocus, engage, and expand— Sanborn reveals the secret for achieving breakthrough improvement in any area of life. Mark is president of Sanborn and Associates Inc., an idea studio dedicated to developing leaders in business and in life. He is a noted authority and an in-demand speaker on leadership, customer service, and extraordinary performance. To book Mark and share the message of The Potential Principle with your team, please contact Michelle Joyce at michelle@michellejoyce.com or (704) 965-2339.