There is probably no bigger disconnect in the sales manager’s life than bridging the gap between managing and leading. It has become axiomatic in performance improvement circles to talk about managing things versus leading people, but the pressure placed on sales managers these days to get things done relentlessly skews their focus towards the “managing things” side.
“Things” refers to anything that is measurable or deliverable or controllable; systems, processes, quotas, plans, deadlines, data, metrics – these are all things. These things involve the sales team and they are often affected by the performance of the sales team. Therefore, when the manager becomes aware that the “things” are not measuring up, there is often a tendency to treat the sales team members as “things,” too, as in one more set of buttons to be pushed to control the process. At that point the sales manager starts issuing directives: do more of this, do less of that, increase this by 20%, get this done by Friday, make more calls, enter more data in the CRM, and on and on. To the sales manager, it might just seem logical to get people to do “things” differently and performance will improve.
The problem, as many exceptional performance improvement specialists have observed over the years, is that people are not things, so, technically, they can’t be managed. You can’t just control them or order them around or redefine their process and their goals and expect them to perform better. People are, well, they are people, which means they have hopes and dreams and feelings and unique gifts and talents; people have different motivations, which are connected to their own unique emotional and behavioral styles. You can’t push them like buttons or move them around on a board like chess pieces. Instead, you must lead them.
Leadership involves building trust; actually it is more like creating a culture within the team where trust can take root and grow. Leadership involves communicating a vision that people will catch and buy into. Most of all, leadership with a sales team involves taking the time to get to know your team members well enough so that you have a clear understanding of what motivates them, what they are good at, what they struggle with, and where they need help, so you can come alongside of them and help them succeed. This is a much messier, more inexact process than simply pushing buttons and managing things, but it is the only way to create trust and earn the kind of respect that is necessary to build a highly successful, very productive sales team.
| Managers | Leaders |
|---|---|
| Subordinates | Followers |
| Authoritarian style – transaction focused | Charismatic style – transformation focused |
| Work focus – appeals to the “head” | People focus – appeals to the “heart” |
| Seek comfort and avoid risk | Seek change and manage risk |
| Short term thinking | Long term view |
| Enacts culture | Shapes culture |
| Avoids conflict | Uses conflict |
| Wants to be right | Wants “what is right” |
| Takes credit | Gives credit |
| Assigns blame | Takes the blame |
Most of the rest of topics in this series will address the skills and strategies a sales manager needs in order to focus less on managing people and more on leading them, so we won’t dig any deeper right now. However, maybe you have heard the saying, “The more you do what you always did, the more you will get what you always got?” If you are tired of getting what you always got, maybe it is time to stop doing what you always did. Maybe it is time to learn how to lead.
Management Quick Tip – The Other 80/20 Rule
Here is a version of the 80/20 rule that is guaranteed to make you a better manager 100% of the time. Whenever you are interacting with an employee, especially during personal interviews or performance reviews, spend eighty percent of the time listening and only twenty percent of the time talking, and most of that talking should be in the form of asking helpful questions to get them talking again. Most managers are accustomed to giving orders, correcting performance, and putting out fires. For that reason, they have a tendency to do most of the talking. Active listening, where the purpose is to learn something new about someone, is very foreign to most managers. However, it is only by listening that you can discover important information that will help you understand your employee more fully, respond to his needs more effectively and help him to be more successful. Remember, you can’t succeed in your management goals if you don’t find ways to help your team members succeed. It all starts by talking less and listening more.
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