Themistocles - if you have heard of him at all, is probably best remembered for defeating the Persian Navy at the battle of Salamis. This was admittedly a great victory involving some innovative strategies to overcome the fact that he was severely outnumbered. But that is not where the genius or the lessons of Themoistocles lie.

His greater accomplishment was convincing his fellow Athenians to invest in a Navy, if they hadn't then the battle obviously could not have been won. The people of Athens didn't see the need to expand the Navy - it was a time of peace. They felt Themistocles was worried without cause and they didn't want to spend the money.But he was persistent and continued to campaign and convince. Eventually he did and it was not until the Persians showed up on the doorstep that everyone realized - this guy had it right! The guy we thought was wrong was the guy that got it right!

So in our world - the world of business and specifically selling, there are things we can do now, there are programs we could invest in now and there are projects that we could get working on that will no doubt pay off down the road. However, like Themistocles, there is resistance and it certainly takes conviction and passion and belief to overcome that and invest in those things. When the enemy arrives at our doorstep will we be ready?