The Golden Rule:
And as you wish that others would do to you,
do so to them.
– Jesus Christ
So what is the difference between leadership and management? In my mind, they are not interchangeable. Leadership is about people. Management focuses on resources and processes. But, the great leaders are adept at both. These posts focus on how leaders can become better managers. My intent is to share some of my ideas on how leaders can better manage.
I powered through my agenda for the meeting. The meeting addressed everything I felt was important to cover from my vantage point. I walked out satisfied and fulfilled.
The problem was I was the only one feeling that way. From the team’s perspective, the meeting left too many issues unaddressed. They left more frustrated than when the meeting started. I had failed my team. Continue Reading…
He sat across from me for 90 minutes. He demonstrated drive, humility, sales skills, and the character I love to hire. The problem was his background. I was hiring for a high-end medical sales position. But, he was selling dumpster pick-up service to restaurants. I really liked Jeff. But I hired someone else because Jeff didn’t fit the mold. I made the wrong decision.
This blog is reposted from March 2012. It received a lot of attention when I first posted it.
Two companies competing in the same market can have wildly different results. One company will thrive and the other will flounder. Why? Does one company have smarter people? Or better information?
That is unlikely. There is not a shortage of smart people in business today. The people available for businesses to hire have never had access to more education and more information.
Brains and skills abound in most companies. Brains and skills are hired and reinforced through training. Yet some companies lag behind the leaders. Why? The answer is dysfunction not incompetence. Continue Reading…
“What do you think of your team’s execution?” Coach John McKay was asked. “I’m for it!” McKay replied. The expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished that season winless and McKay captured the hearts of coaches everywhere with that comment.
Whether it is in sports or in business, leaders often spend endless hours preparing strategies to insure success, only to see those plans fail due to poor execution. Whose fault is it? Is it the players’ fault? Is it the leaders’ fault? Continue Reading…
“Dave, you are not the messiah of wayward sales people.” My boss had a way of being direct – sometimes with a sting. She knew me and my desire to help others. I didn’t like the delivery, but she was right.
The problem was, once again, I was hanging on too tight to someone who was not making the grade. He was not meant to be in sales, and I refused to accept it. Continue Reading…
A lot of people do not like performance reviews. Many times it is the anticipation of bad news that can cause anxiety in the individual. The fear of the unknown can overwhelm people.
That’s the problem. Nothing that is discussed in a performance review should be unknown.
That is why they are called performance reviews – NOT performance reveals! Continue Reading…
When someone does something well, a good coach jumps on the opportunity to praise them. Praise is a great motivator. But misplaced praise can demotivate.
Making people feel good about themselves in a vacuum doesn’t work. In my past, I fell into the habit of always praising people. It hurt their performance and our relationship. Continue Reading…
“I worked hard this year! I deserve a bigger bonus!” I heard this complaint almost annually in 15 years in various sales leadership positions. Sometimes it was a valid complaint. Most of the time it wasn’t.
I like people who are competitive and driven to win. In sales, I looked for those traits in everyone I hired. Unfortunately, I found that drive often gave people an unrealistic perception of what they deserved.
It had been 12 months since I hired Tracy. During the interview process she wowed me with her passion and drive to succeed. I wasn’t just moderately hopeful for her. I thought she would be doing my job some day!
But 12 months later, that person was nowhere to be found. Tracy turned out to be very average – average work ethic, average skills, and average results. She did her job and that was about it. I rarely saw the passion and drive that made me hire her. Continue Reading…
What are my priorities for 2013? What accounts and what goals should I focus my efforts on? The time is now to think ask these questions. Do not wait until after the holidays.
These are key questions that will help me continue to grow and lead others to grow. Taking the time to get the answers to these questions does not have to be complicated.
Somewhere along the way I picked up a tool that helped me clear through the clutter of brainstorming sessions and simplified my action planning.
Continue Reading…
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