The time is now to take the complexity out of leadership and make it simple.
If you look at a recent McKinsey study, “How Companies Manage the Front Line Today,” it found that 80 percent of front-line leaders report dissatisfaction with their job performance, and 70 percent of senior managers agreed. The numbers are staggering, and there appears to be a leadership epidemic. Then, when you couple it with why employees left their previous role with the common reason being dissatisfaction with their leader… you see the dilemma.
What is the core issue, here? In the sales arena, today’s leader is forced to wear so many different hats that their role becomes daunting. A leader I highly respect said, “you can only focus on three things at one time” (Power of 3). So why is it that we see more and more heaped on leaders’ plates each day? The madness needs to stop to create clarity for the leader and make them successful at what they do best – which is to lead.
The goal is to keep it simple, and I recommend that you, as the sales leader, focus on the following three things:
1. Team – It starts and stops here. You need to have the right team to serve the customer and to create organizational growth. Without a highly skilled, motivated and energized team of people serving your clients, you are doomed. You can’t settle when it comes to your people, search out and hire the very best. Good people make your life simple.
2. Process – Everyone has heard of “winging it.” Winging it is the process of not having a process. Just hoping to show up and having your client buy is naïve and a recipe for failure. Good luck! With all the information your clients have at their disposal today, winging it is no longer an option. Ask your team members:
– Where do they want to go with their client?
– How will they get there?
– What are the steps along the way to facilitate progress to their ultimate goal?
A great process brings consistency and accountability to all involved. It makes life simple, which is what you strive for in the end.
3. Client – Our clients determine if we are successful. Their success is our success. They spread the love by how they engage and buy from us. In the end, they are the barometer we measure ourselves by each day. As a leader, you need to:
– Understand how your team engages with the client.
– Where the client is in the buying process and their satisfaction with your product/service.
– How your product/service makes the client successful and what can be done to provide more value.
A full understanding of how you and your business serve your clients will create success throughout the organization. It forces the entire team to collaborate and to serve. Happy clients make your life simple.
Now is the time to review how you are leading your team and take the complexity out of it. Provide your team the tools, resources, and leadership to thrive in their environment. Remember the “Power of 3” and make your life simple. Need some suggestions? Or do you just want to talk through your own company’s specific situation? I’m here to help.
