Today I had a conversation with a Sales Leader about Compassionate Leadership, scaling quickly and being in alignment with values that reflect credibility and integrity. These are common topics for me because we focus on sales mindset development. What made this conversation unusual is that the Sales Leader doesn’t start his new role till next week…and we had never spoken before.
This really impressed me.
Here is a Sales Leader that’s already lining up his options to show up and do an amazing job for the business he is joining.
What traits stood out for me…
Outcome driven – reaching out to people that are experts in areas he wants to improve so that he can achieve his goals quickly more here
Growth Mindset – recognising that he is stepping into new territory and exploring the ways in which he can do that effectively more here
Curious – eager to speak with people that have already done what he wants to achieve more here
People-centric – already cares about the team he is about to inherit and sees his role as the custodian of their development more here
Passionate – he is super excited about creating a positive impact on his team, partners and customers more here
Grounded in reality – in addition to being super excited he is also super aware of the reality of the situation so has real clarity around what it required…a rare combination more here
I’m sure that as I get to know him, I will uncover deeper traits that strongly underpin the one’s I experienced during our 40 minute phone call.
Which traits stand out for you?
It takes time, experience and reflection to develop traits like this so you don’t have to have all of these to stand out, but you do need to have at least one to be on the development journey.
Which traits do you already have in your armoury?
How are you using your traits?
Do your traits have a positive impact on your team and customers?
You may have a trait BUT…let’s say you are totally outcome driven. So much so, that you trample over people to get what you want.
It’s about intention…they are only positive traits if they have a positive result for all involved. If it’s only positive for you then I’m sorry to say that you are being driven by your ego’s desire to win, shine or succeed at a cost to others.
Your focus needs to be on changing your intention…that automatically changes your behaviour.
If your ‘win at all costs’ mindset is deep-rooted seek out a good coach that can help you find a more inclusive and effective way to lead your team so that they trust and follow you fully.
New to Sales Leadership?
You may not possess any of these traits yet and that’s fine. You can start with a desire to develop these traits…that’s your starting point. We all have a starting point for the things we haven’t mastered yet in our lives. The starting point is pretty irrelevant. It’s the destination and the first step that’s most important.
Know where you are heading.
Take the easiest first step that creates momentum to take the next step.
Always remember that you don’t need confidence for the entire journey…just the next step. Small daily steps are the surest way to get you there and the most effective way to create great habits.
You can tweak as you go along based on the information and feedback you get with each step you take. If something doesn’t work so well then change it the next time.
That’s how we all learn our greatest lessons…and develop or deepest wisdom.
Until next time,
Leigh 😊
PS If you want to develop these traits in your sales leadership team then let’s chat!
Thanks Suzanne D Williams for the great image 😊
