Bill Snyder, Kansas State's legendary football coach, is famous for his 16 goals for success. His players recite the line: "...to common goals & being successful. Individually, if we accomplish these goals, the entire team will be successful."

Throughout the year, we will discuss these 16 goals and how to apply them to the Vermillion Group's common goals in 2013. We welcome you along for this journey...

#2: UNSELFISHNESS is demonstrated through a consistent effort over time.

Most everyone has heard some rendition of Aesop's fable, "The Hare and the Tortoise." The moral of the story teaches: 'Slow but steady wins the race.'

The same principle can be used to illustrate the second of Snyder's goals - unselfishness.

Some may argue that the soldier or policeman who react quickly to save a life, sometimes risking their own well-being in the process, is the perfect example of "unselfishness." yes, I would agree that it may be an unselfish act; however, I feel this type of event is more accurately described as being brave or heroic. The difference between the two allows us to relate unselfishness to less altruistic activities; that difference is consistency.

Just as we discussed commitment being the first of these 16 goals, being unselfish requires an element of time to be considered alongside the action. Being unselfish in business urges one to 'be the tortoise' and avoid hare-brained activities that will end up getting you nowhere fast.

To be unselfish in business, you must perform your assigned duties and responsibilities with tortoise-like conviction and commitment. You need to ask yourself, "What is best for the business?" and bring that mentality to your list of daily priorities. Can your manager assign you a task like Ron Popeil cooks a chicken? (..."set it" on your desk and "forget it" because they know it will get done.)

Being unselfish in business means you must maintain a reliable relationship with your customers, whether they are internal (coworkers) or external customers. A relationship built on reliability and trust is especially key to successful sales professionals. Can your people count on you? Do they believe that you are stepping up to bat for them each and every day?

An unselfish businessman or businesswoman acts with the highest level of integrity, even when no one will ever find out what they're working on. We're not talking about a light switch that you can just flip on when necessary... when 'people are watching you.'

A mother is unselfish. You do not raise a child in one day. You must wake up and do the little things consistently, unwaveringly, if you want to instill the right values and lessons in them. You can't let a dog run wild for years and then decide to train it in a weekend. You must make an impression on them from early on and correct unwanted behavior through reward and encouragement.

There are no tricks - and your job is the same way. By doing the unremarkable things that people rely on you to do - reaching your metrics, hitting your plan, achieving short-term goals through effort, making the little adjustments and staying focused - you will achieve remarkable results. A business who has all of their employees focused on achieving a common goal and working unselfishly can accomplish the remarkable.

First comes the commitment, then comes the opportunity to go all-in and work unselfishly. Be the tortoise...

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