Category Archives: Leadership
So You’re Saying There’s A Chance…
Typically November is the time of year when sales reps decide if they can make a push to reach their goals (if they are not there yet), or “pack it in” until January 1st.
One year in the mattress business, I was lagging behind as mid-November hit. I was frustrated that the results were not there, and I was not “feeling it” anymore. Shortly after the “pity party”, my boss gave me a wake up call – and said that I could still do this. A trip for two including airfare and hotel to an exotic location was on the line for my wife and I. Giving up was not an option. We were able to qualify for awesome trips if annual goals were achieved.
I fully revised my account strategies. I went to the extremes as part of the plan. I evaluated how to get added business from the highest growth accounts, and the ones that were struggling too. I remember thinking to myself,
“I have to call that guy”?
Yep even the accounts that I did not like, I reached out.
I planned promotions, strategized with other reps, and squeezed every ounce of potential business out of the territory, without over stocking customers unnecessarily. My plan worked to perfection.
On December 30, I remember returning from holidays and going in to my home office for the best “fax of my life”. That was about 10 years ago – faxing was still cool -:)
My boss sent me the monthly goal update early, because I had achieved – I achieved by .5%!!!!!
I was so excited. I performed when the chips were down, when I could have easily “taken the rest of the year off”. Sorry Managers, it does happen.
I won’t end this with some big rah-rah you can do it pep talk!
Instead, just 4 words!
Believe, Plan, Implement, Smile (like crazy when you hit your numbers)!
ps. If you knew that question “So You’re Saying There’s A Chance?” was from the movie “Dumb and Dumber” staring Jim Carrey, you were right!
Can A New Coach Make A Difference?
I have heard a couple of incredible interviews recently with hockey coaches. I immediately thought of the parallels to leaders in the business world. It seemed like an opportune time to repost this article on a professional hockey coach.
I was driving home from work one day last January and heard an awesome interview with Jeremy Rutherford from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the Team 1260 Sports Radio in Edmonton. The discussion focused on the new coach of the St. Louis Blues, Ken Hitchcock, and the team’s amazing turn-around since his hiring.
Highly regarded professional hockey coach Ken Hitchcock was out of work for some time when the St. Louis Blues hired him in November, 2011. He had a reputation throughout the National Hockey League as a disciplinarian for many years, and lead with a “my way or the highway” approach. He had a history of conflict with young players who were having trouble adapting to his style of play.
By the time he took over the floundering yet talented Blues hockey club, the positive change in the team was almost instantaneous. At one point in January of 2012, they were on a 21 wins, 6 losses and 2 overtime losses run. The team’s fans and casual observers were impressed with the team’s turnaround, but not totally surprised based on Hitchcock’s history of success.
When Jeremy Rutherford was asked about Hitchcock’s most recent success, his answer was simple and to the point,
“He mellowed”.
He adjusted his coaching style to cater to today’s players. There is still accountability, but the players are not afraid to make one mistake and then have their butt stapled to the bench for an extended period. Two veterans who had previously played for Hitchcock gave the players a head’s up of what to expect from their new coach.
Rutherford described a potential scenario,
“You make one mistake, no problem. You make a second mistake, no problem. You continue to make the same mistake; the coach and player are going to have to find solutions.”
The part of the radio interview that impressed me the most discussed that Coach Hitchcock had studied all 30 teams for several months while he was unemployed. He was preparing for his next opportunity, and waiting for the phone to ring.
Two things stood out for me about this message:
- He was not just sitting at home waiting for the next job to fall in to his lap
- He had the positive belief that another role would come his way, and it was only a matter of time
- Have you ever observed a sport or business team make a remarkable improvement after a coaching or management change?
- Can you pinpoint specific reasons for the improvement?
10 Guaranteed Steps to Leadership Excellence
David Kanigan is one of my favourite bloggers out there. Check out these fantastic steps to leadership excellence!
- Be strategic. Be Tactical. Be a firefighter.
- Push for productivity. For excellence. Pull. Pull with PURPOSE.
- Set pace. Drive. Pause. Stop. Change. BALANCE.
- Build Relationships. CARE. Keep adequate distance.
- Learn. Coach. Nurture. Correct.
- Hire. Upgrade. Right-size. Fire. (sigh)
- Lead. Manage. Own. Delegate. Follow. Release.
- Show Strength. Be Resilient. Be Tough. Be Fair. Be compassionate. Admit weakness.
- Cheer. Rally. Celebrate. Recognize. Recover. Regroup. INSPIRE.
- Be on. Be on. Be on. Be on. Be on. Be on. Be on. Be on. Be on. BE ON.
Jon Bon Jovi’s Take On Leadership…
I watched Jon Bon Jovi on Oprah’s Masterclass TV series a few months ago. I really enjoyed his take on leadership and wanted to share it with you today:
“You have to lead by example. You have to be a good listener. You have to be a good friend. You have to know when to take a punch, and when to give one. Share the spotlight and take the spotlight. Love one another unconditionally, but push each other more than anyone else would.”
Pretty great quote from somebody you probably thought was just a rock star!
Have a great day!
The Seven Powers of Words
Great post by Dan this morning! Hope you like it as much as I did. Have an awesome Thursday…
Complaining says stop or improve, but doesn’t improve anything. Encouraging points to behaviors or attitudes to continue, but doesn’t continue anything.
The danger of talking is it feels like doing.
The biggest waste of words:
It feels good to get something off your chest. But, “off your chest” conversations are pleas for affirmation not expressions of leadership.
Weak leaders run around getting things off their chest. It’s self-centered, self-indulgent, and self-defeating. Leadership is about them not you.
Talk is when it’s the environment of action.
The 7 powers of words:
- Connect. Words that create connection are about others not you. Trust is the predecessor and indicator of connection.
- Persuade. Spend more time connecting and it will take fewer words to persuade. Convincing others is about them, not you.
- Focus. It’s normal to focus on what matters. Leaders explain what matters now.
- Open. Nothing opens hearts and…
View original post 165 more words
No Laughs This Week – Just Smiles And Reflection!
This is an older post that I pulled out of the archives today. Instead of laughing this time, I will be smiling and reflecting. My championship hockey team from 1985 lost a teammate way too young last week, and I want to dedicate this post to him and his family…
I love sales, and I love sports – especially hockey. It’s natural that I see similarities between professional athletes and sales reps, as well as between the roles of sales managers and sport coaches. One story sticks out in my mind, and it has motivated me for close to 30 years now.
Growing up, there were four different tiers of hockey leagues in my city, and I was very excited to be selected to play for the Tier 2 team when I was 11 years old. It was a great group of guys, and the coaches were awesome. We had a pretty good year, but started to slip in the standings towards the end of the season. Six out of ten teams made the playoffs, and we qualified by a narrow margin.
To be honest, I don’t remember the playoff rounds leading up to the finals, but what I remember is how the coaches got us to come together as a team. Players would be asked to play different roles depending on the scenarios that unfolded during the season. Some players were more skilled than others, and they would be counted on to score. Others were better at defence, and they would be counted on to prevent the other team’s best players from scoring.
We remarkably made it to the finals, and had to play the first place team. They were the top team for the entire season. It was a best of three series. They had one superstar player, who was a big reason that they had advanced to the finals. He was hands down the best player in the league. Our strategy going in to the finals was if we could neutralize that player, and keep him off the scoreboard as much as possible, we would win.
They won the first game. But our coaches were so good, they told us not to panic, and stick to our game plan. If we played better in game two, and continued to focus on the star player, we would still win. Game two was much better, and we kept the star off the score sheet as much as we could. All our players pretty much played the same amount, and we attacked our competitors as one unit. They would play their star player and his supporting cast most of the time. We won game two.
We advanced to game three, it was winner take all. I was so nervous that I thought that I was going to throw up! It was a very evenly matched game, and it went in to over time. I did not know how the families and coaches could bear to watch anymore. I do not remember exactly how long it took, but during the overtime period, the puck came to me by our bench. I skated up the ice with the puck, and one of my team mates had just hopped on to the ice. I sent a pass over to him and he scored the winning goal! We were champions even though nobody thought that we could do it.
What I really got out of that experience was the value of working as a team. A group of people with their own goals do not make a team. The other team relied too much on one player, and in the end that strategy did not work. Our coaches were instrumental in keeping us motivated, positive and continually instilled in us that we could do it! Their confidence in us never wavered for one moment. Losing was never an option.
This is very much like a sales team. Everyone has their own individual goals. But if team goals are important too, it will create a better work environment for everyone, and a much stronger company overall. There is no better feeling than succeeding when nobody expects you to! And success feels so much better when you have teammates to celebrate with.
- Have you ever been a part of a winning sports team, and if so, what factors contributed to its success?
- Do you have any memories of that team that will be with you for the rest of your life?
Is It Time To Hit “Reset” With Your Team?
Managing, coaching and/or leading a team can be a very rewarding role when things are going well. There’s a method to the madness in motivating and inspiring team members. When things don’t go well, the accountability has to fall back on the manager, and tough questions need to be asked. One of the questions that has always intrigued me is,
“Do you know your team members?” (yeah, yeah I do!)
No…
“Do you really KNOW them?”
I heard a story once about a sports star who was allegedly upset that his General Manager did not phone or visit him while he was in the hospital recovering from surgery. This caused a great debate – whether the manager should have had to make personal contact, or if it was satisfactory that his support team did the checking in.
I had a strong opinion on the situation initially, and concluded that the player was another over paid athlete who was whining and wanted a “big hug” from his adoring fans! A radio announcer quickly put it in to perspective for me. He said that although it was ridiculous to expect a General Manager to make calls to a player in the hospital, he needed to know his players. If all it took to keep a multimillion dollar player happy was an occasional phone call or visit to the hospital, was it really that big a deal? Maybe he only had to do things similarly with a handful of players, but it would have kept harmony within the team. Speculation ensued and the player ended up being let go in a very public dispute.
“The Blind Side” movie provided another great lesson about knowing players. A high school football coach had an offensive lineman on his team who was having difficulties blocking opposing players. The coach got frustrated, and did not know how to teach the player to block better, and protect the quarterback. The player’s mom was watching that practice, and went on to the field and gave some insight to her son. She knew that he had scored very well on testing at school when the topic was protection. She gave him examples of how he had protected the family and others close to him over time, and how it related to the football team concept. It really sparked something inside him.
From that point on, he did an incredible job protecting the quarterback. The mom commented to the coach that he needed to know his players better. Every time the player struggled and was not blocking as well in the future, they just had to remind him again that this was his “football family” and he needed to protect them too!
In today’s business environment, now more than ever, Sales Managers and Executives need to understand the strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies of each of their team members. In the sales profession, some reps will be better at presenting, others will have more technical knowledge, and some will be customer relationship building standouts.
Work your butt off to understand the different personalities that you are managing, and adjust your style when dealing with each of them . Focus on assisting them in areas of weakness, and capitalize on their strengths. Well-rounded reps will be much more successful on your teams in the long run than those who are one-dimensional.
Managers need to be prepared to change-up their leadership strategies based on their team member’s needs. If your team genuinely knows that your number one priority is their success, life at work should already be good if not great. If things aren’t going well with your team, ask yourself:
- How well do I know each individual?
- What motivates them day-to-day?
- What are their long-term goals?
- What can I do to get to know each person better?
- How can I further their career development? (i.e. one-on-one coaching, encouraging continued education, job shadowing, mentoring)
Taking time to get to know your employees gives you valuable insight into leading your team effectively. Happy employees are more productive which is a win-win for everyone.
The Numbers Don’t Lie! I’m Not Lying…
If you are sales representative, own a business or even write a blog; analyzing your sales figures and other key data is imperative for success.
DON”T WORRY!
You don’t have to do it every day, especially if you are not “a number’s person“!
I fell in love with math early on in elementary school, but I would not consider myself to be a “number’s guy”. Some are, some aren’t; and that is ok.
I must admit, I have become a bit of a blogging data addict!
I love to look at my blog stats.
- Unique visitors per day
- Top commenters
- Total views
- A map of the world with all the countries represented by my visitors (my personal favourite)
But I caution you…. don’t become obsessed with the numbers. I have seen it time and time again in the sales profession where reps get caught in to the trap of sitting at their desk most of the day analyzing too many reports.
Don’t get distracted from the key mission which is to SELL and grow your network!
I like to simplify processes in my professional and personal life. Below is an example of how I would spend at least one hour per month analyzing my sales territory numbers:
- Identify where business is up, find out what is working and do more of that!
- Identify where business is flat (no growth), find areas to improve and focus on that
- Identify where business is down, create recovery plans and carry out those strategies ASAP
See – no big deal! This does not have to take hours per week or month staring at paper.
Remember – it is your territory, your business, or even your blog.
If you don’t know what is going on with it, how can you expect to exceed your goals?
Recognizing Other’s Efforts Can Go A Long Way!
I was working at my first job out of university and was having a blast. But it was tough – long hours, cold weather and demanding work. I was on an awesome team and learned a lot every day.
I don’t remember if I received an annual performance review, but I remember being at the office one day thinking,
“I wonder if my boss thinks I am doing a good job?”
Within a few days a co-worker came up to me and said that the manager had mentioned to him that I was doing a great job.
To this day, I still remember the incredible feeling of satisfaction. It was instant validation for all the hard work that I had put in. The funny thing was that it was not even said directly to me!
You can make a difference with your team or coworkers.
- A simple thank you
- A pat on the back
- A special mention at a meeting
- Treat them to lunch or a refreshment after work
- You could even get wild and crazy and let them leave early on a hot summer’s day!
None of this is reinventing the wheel. People just want to be recognized for their efforts. Making them feel appreciate will go along way for them sticking around and having long prosperous careers with your organization.
Broc Edward’s Incredible Perspective – Vanilla Passion
Broc Edward book “What Thinks You” has been sitting on my nightstand for some time. I have enjoyed it for the past few weeks.
I keep gravitating back to one particular post, and I finally wanted to share with my audience.
We love ice cream at our house, so it is easy to compare life to ice cream flavours.
What flavours do you like? Better yet what flavours best describe your life, personally and professionally?
Enjoy the post! I would love to hear what you think.
Happy 4th of July to all of my American friends!
http://foolwithaplan.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/vanilla-passion/
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 