leadership

Treat Your Boss Well

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Treat your boss well.  It’s always the other way around, isn’t it?

Kevin Spacey had it rough as the sales boss in Glengarry Glen Ross.  Lots of bosses have it rough.

And I’ve yet to see a book on the shelves, or in a training class, or a webinar,  or darn near even a memo with topics like “How to Treat Your Boss Better” or “Strategies to Engage Your Manager” or “Connecting With Supervision: Unleash The Power”

Nope.  It’s all about what the bosses should do for their employees.  How to be a better manager, coach, teacher, helper or leader of people.

I got it already.

We have to turn the tables.  We’re missing chances to make this third of our lives that is work, just a little bit better.

  • Treat your boss as if you know they once “carried the bag” and like you, had some rough sales quotas to hit, impossible project deadlines to meet or tough service issues to handle.  They had those then and unless I’m missing something, still have them today.
  • Treat your boss as if you know they have a hard time sleeping some nights worried about you or your colleagues, or the business, or even the systems.  Truth is, the lack of sleep isn’t always because they were out too late the night before.
  • Treat your boss as if you know that being a leader or a coach of people (and some bosses in this sales business have 20 + direct reports) is one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever do.  Never doubt for a moment it isn’t, because it is.
  • Treat your boss as if just like you, they have a family at home, maybe a sick child, or an ailing parent or a bill they are worried about having to pay because without a doubt, they do.
  • Treat your boss as if you appreciate they are often anxious and worried about what they are saying to you or the team or even what they will say or will do.  They know they are never ever not on stage and that everyone is always watching.
  • Treat your boss as if you know they took their leader job because maybe they get real joy out of helping someone turn “just a job” into a career or to take a team or a business from “just good” to “darn great”.   Leaders yearn for that job satisfaction too.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

6 To Ponder

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These 6 questions are rarely ever posed as questions.  Everyone just presumes what the answers are.   That in itself is questionable.

Bring these questions into your next staff meeting or into your next business building brainstorming session or hell, just print em’ off and bring them to bar after work with some of your colleagues.

Discuss these questions.   Questionable stuff these questions are and they need some good answers.   Take your time, they’re biggies.

  1. Almost everyone says the key to Sales is “Listening”.   But what good is being a great listener if you can’t get your customer to truly talk to you?  And really, isn’t that the bigger problem these days? 
  2. If your Mantra is “Sell, Sell, Sell!” but you spend 90% of your day teaching and preaching only to efficiencies and work habits, should you change your Mantra or change your approach?  
  3. Isn’t it true that overcoming customer objections is the least of our worries compared to not having enough true customer objections to begin with?  
  4. When will the Content quality of Social Media become more important than the fact that media has become more social? 
  5. Instead of leaders trying to get people to be really good at 5 different skills at work; what if we created just more opportunities for them to do what they do well?  Wouldn’t we all be more successful?  
  6. Do we really think we can train tone, empathy, enthusiasm and sincerity in a training class?  Isn’t that like trying to train someone to be intelligent?

You’ve got some strong feelings on the answers or have more questions to ponder I bet.  We’re all ears.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

The Devil’s Claw

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I was shocked.  I was thrilled.   And then, I was completely ticked off. 

I’ve had this puzzle for almost a year.   It’s called the Devil’s Claw.  

You can get these at any Barnes and Noble and this one is rated “Challenging”.   The key is to get the darned thing apart into the two pieces.  I’ve tried.  My wife has tried, my daughter has tried,  my son had tried, my son’s friend has tried, unsuspecting party goers and holiday revelers have tried as I’ve begged many to just “ give it a go” and figure out a way to get the Devil’s claw apart.   

I like the puzzle.

It represents something too, this puzzle.  It must be defeated because well, it just has to be.  Hanayama, the company that makes the puzzle, specializes in recreating these puzzles from the 19th century and knows that there are thousands of people like you and me who need this type of challenge.     We tackle puzzles every day at work, but we sometimes want  more.  

At exactly 9:47 pm, I was sitting in the Man Cave (yep, I got one of those).   The Discovery channel was on (something about submarines), the laptop open and email up, a Bud Lite nearby too close to empty and as I was apt to have,  the Devil’s Claw was in my hands.

And……then…..

It came apart.  One piece in my left hand ….and one piece in my right hand. 

I was shocked.  I was thrilled.   And then, I was completely ticked off.   

I jumped to my feet.   Finally, after so much time had passed, I had defeated the Devil’s Claw.    The only problem was, as I began to head upstairs to exclaim to my wife that I had conquered the devil himself,  I realized that I had no idea how I did it.   I had taken it apart but had no idea how.  None. 

That was not good.  That was really not good.  That made me angry.  And then as I paused, it made me realize how often this happens.

I wanted to share how had succeeded.  I needed to share how I succeeded.  I actually needed to know how I did it.

When you succeed today at work, perhaps landing a colossal sale, are you absolutely sure how you did it?   Do you know exactly what steps you took, what process, what angles, what words, what perspective you took to make that success happen?

What exactly was the way in which you were able to take your Devil’s Claw apart?  When your colleagues, boss or spouse ask “How did you do it?”   Can you respond in a specific way?

You need to.  And often, too often, it isn’t easily explained.

Over the years, I have heard many success stories, so many difficult yet successful stories in which a sale was made, a solution solved, a customer indebted for life to you because of what you did.   And over the years, the how is often lost.

The how gets buried in the “It was magical, they ended up buying the whole suite!” or the “I just went with it” or the dreaded “because I’m a good salesperson.”  The how is forgotten.

Even the “I kept probing until I discovered” or “I wouldn’t take “no” for and answer” or the “I just knew we had what they needed” is akin to that playing mindlessly as I did with the Devil’s Claw in my lap and having it fall apart in my hands.

Success without knowing how, is not success, it is Random Achievement.  Random Achievement isn’t something you or I want.  What we want is success that we can understand and explain.  Success that is understood in minute detail is repeatable and wonderful.

Every manager, sales leader or marketer out there should be asking the questions of the successful salesperson about that successful sale and exactly what happened.   Don’t settle for the vague answers or the generalizations.  Salespeople who are successful may or may not be aware of how they accomplished the feat; (I know that years ago as a salesperson, it took me time before I was consciously aware of how I succeeded).  Your job as a leader is to delve deep into that space and “CSI” the event giving the salesperson and the respective populace the recipe for achieving this specific success. 

Random Achievement is great at the time, but it is no longer random when it falls identifiably upon people with some consistency.   The Devil’s Claw for me was a Random Achievement.   It did not have to be.  I’ve been working on that puzzle for nearly a year. 

Watch closely.  Watch how.   

I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and got two more puzzles, both more difficult supposedly than the one I unknowingly conquered.  

The devil made me do it.   But this time, I’ll be watching. 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

8 Minutes Ago

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A lot of bad things happen 8 minutes ago.  One in particular, is really bad.   But don’t worry about that one yet, we’ll get to it.  Just focus on helping the four people below, will you?

Just now, sales rep was getting all jazzed about making like 70 calls out in the next 3 hours and about making something happen on that phone.  Truth is that 8 minutes ago when he decided he was going to just click and dial and not do any real research or set objectives for each call, that he already guaranteed making no money for the rest of the day.

Just now, the product manager is thinking that the folks in the room that came to hear her presentation must still be “settling in” because they are not totally paying attention just yet.  Truth is that 8 minutes ago, when she began the meeting focused on herself, her department and her initiative, the audience tuned her out and will never be coming back.

Just now, the team leader thought it was really bad that there were no pens or pencils in this required training class and gosh darnit, she really needed one.  Truth is that 8 minutes ago her boss wrote her off for that next project opportunity because he saw that she chose to show up for learning without so much as a piece of paper, let alone a pen.

Just now, the call center rep is miffed that he didn’t close on the quantity upgrade with this customer even though he fixed the problem really well and fast.  Truth is that 8 minutes ago he lost that sale when at the beginning of the call he didn’t really apologize in any meaningful way for the problem they had.

You all know someone who doesn’t realize that bad things can happen 8 minutes ago.  Most people have a hard time seeing it themselves.   Some things can happen 8 minutes ago that are far worse and can offer a nice counter balance perspective as you go about lending a hand.

Just now, you were thinking that the sun is shining.  Truth is that 8 minutes ago the sun went supernova.  But because light (and heat) can only travel as fast as 186,000 miles per second, you won’t have a clue for at least the next 8 minutes, that you are toast.

Now don’t you feel better about the wee problems of the 4 people you are about to go help?

Go to it.  Help them.   You can even cut across the parking lot.   No need for sun block, you’re good I think. 

Check back with me in 9 minutes.  

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark