Factors to Manage Success

Today’s blog  will be on some “pearls of wisdom” that I have seen work over the years.  They are listed in no particular order and are a collection of sound ideas, and personal skills that managers should employ as they strive to become leaders in their organizations. These tips are just a few of many tenets that can help each of us be more successful at all levels of management.  If you have any additional thoughts, please do not hesitate to add them in the comment section.  

• Don’t wait for success to happen!  Create the environment to make it take place!

• Forget the words…”when I was a ….”  You will not build loyalty, trust or confidence, you will more than likely be viewed as a braggart.  Work on referencing either your team or other un-named sources for the best practice idea.  It may sound like …”One of the things that I saw work quite well was….”

• Get out in the field.  This is where the action is.  This is particularly important in sales management. You can coach, praise and brainstorm together.  Don’t become a desk jockey!

• Assume nothing!  Make sure that your communications are clear and that your direct reports know what is expected of them.

• Inspect the expectation!  Rather than inspect it, RESPECT the expectation and the thought process that went into it! 

• Be humble!  Stay out of the spotlight and cast the light on the brilliance around you.  Give credit to those who are making it happen!

• Never talk about your problems and issues particularly as it relates to a peer, supervisor or direct report.  If you can’t say anything positive, do not say anything at all!

• Problem solve together if at all possible without going to the next level of management.  Avoid discussing personal issues and those unrelated to work with anyone in the business environment.

• Walk the talk!  If you are asking for your direct reports to do something, make sure that you are doing it yourself as well.

• Regularly monitor and observe performance.  Get in the habit of doing routine progress checks throughout a sales cycle.  Do not wait until the end to do a performance review.  Make sure that you are capturing everything important and not focusing on trivial matters.

• Always look for positives during personal contacts.  Build on strengths and limit yourself to coaching on no more than 1-2 development skills at a time.

• Listen at least 2X more than you speak.  Use your two ears wisely and your 1 mouth in a proportionate manner.

• Never hold back information that can be helpful to your team.  Sometimes, new managers will take the cautious approach and deliver information slowly to avoid the chance of being wrong.  We learn from failures and be willing to accept errors from your team and recognize your own.

• Sales Management is a team sport – Accept wins as a team and share the credit through and for the team.  When in doubt about what the reason for the success, share credit!

• Blame no one!  Accept responsibility and be personally accountable!  Forge relationships within your immediate comfort zone but also throughout the organization.  Work well together with multiple departments

• Strive to be a champion of your people and also a champion of your company. 

• Do not control results but work on influencing the actions that will be needed to be successful.

• Always focus on behavior and not personality!

• Don’t be a buddy and not a boss.

• Do not hold people back from career development.  Rather make career development for your direct reports a top goal!

• Never condone incompetence!

• Treat your team fair and consistently.  Recognize everyone as an important link to success.

• Practice situational leadership.  Do not manage everyone the same way.  There are different and specific skill sets required depending on where the direct report is in their development/results.

• Set the bar high and always work on developing knowledge.  Aim high ~ Soaring!  Aim low ~ Boring!

• Knowledge is power!  Applied knowledge is success!