You might have been a star salesman; exceeded all sales quotas and alas have been forced to accept promotion as a Sales Manager. Are you ready for the role or are you just groping in the dark hoping your prowess as a super salesman will make you a success in your new role

                         

You might have been a star salesman; exceeded all sales quotas and alas have been forced to accept promotion as a Sales Manager. Are you ready for the role or are you just groping in the dark hoping your prowess as a super salesman will make you a success in your new role as a leader of the sales team

 Leadership means the responsibility of  developing and supporting others in your sales team to make a better career and a better life. Leaders’ help others develop problem solving skills, and help them to become contributors to the cause; home, community or family. Are you helping others grow, by challenging them; by delegating things that are of importance to them? Are you communicating to them that you trust them? You will experience firsthand that delegation with trust goes a long way to gaining immeasurable loyalty and support from others. Do you give your people the latitude to work and act independently?

 Many theories abound about leadership and their bases of power... some have called it position power (you become great because you sit on the throne) expert power( big daddy knows best) which today does not work since Gen X knows more than the grey haired! Then there was reward and punishment power which today is a mockery because if your increment at the end of a performance appraisal is unfair you sales team members send you their resign by a SMS message on  your mobile and lastly there was PERSONALITY POWER...this is an unimpeachable theory since the great aspect of a leader is humility, service, equality, fairness, collaborative not a autocratic approach,empower not controlling style and most of all message power the ability to propogate a cause; inspire passion and commitment ; give and receive feedback as part of follower-devlopment.

So the key quality of a genuine leader is the urge and obligation to serve... people who have excessive desire to domination; occupy positions of glory or wish servility and obedience from the subordinates  do not really have the  indicator of being a good leaders.. In moment of glory they might become despotic like Hitler or Stalin... Hence an apt remark  “...PEOPLE WHO NEED TO BE IN POWER PROBABLY SHOULDN’T BE THERE AT ALL ...” My experience has been that those people who craved power, who had an inordinate desire to be in control, were the ones most likely to use power in unhealthy ways.

As I’ve pondered this point , the 3 biggest NORMS of leadership  have become clearer to me:

1. THE BEST USE OF POWER IS IN SERVICE TO OTHERS: Being a servant leader, rather than a self-serving leader, means giving away my power to help other people achieve their personal goals, the objectives of the organization, and to allow them to reach their full expression and potential as individuals. One of the paradoxes of leadership is that by placing others before ourselves, and using our power to serve, rather than dominate, actually brings us more power, respect, commitment and loyalty.

2. FOLLOWERSHIP IS THE PREPARATION PHASE TO BECOME A LEADER: Learning to be a good follower is an essential component of being a wise leader who uses power appropriately. A person who learns to submit to the authority of others, collaborate with teammates, and sees first-hand the good and bad effects of the use of power, will have a greater appreciation for how power should be used in relationships.

3. LOOK UPON POWER AS A ROLE OF TRUSTEE: The power I have as a leader is something entrusted to me, both from my boss who put me in this position and by my followers who have consented to follow my lead. This power is not mine to keep. I’m a temporary steward of this power as long as I’m in my leadership role and it could be taken away at anytime should something drastic change in the relationship with my boss or followers. We’re all familiar with “consent of the governed,” the phrase that describes the political theory that a government’s legitimate and moral right to use state power over citizens can only be granted by the consent of the citizens themselves.

PROFILE OF AN  GREAT SALES LEADER

1. LEADERSHIP IS BASED ON MESSAGE POWER 

Sales Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often! You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Sales Leader, then you will have to put a little zeal under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about!

2. VISUALIZE THE GOAL AND INSPIRE OTHERS
I feel a leades sees the shadow of coming events early enough to prepare even for for the worst! The true leaders  are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!

3. ABILITY TO DEFINE GOALS FOR SELF AND OTHERS: 

A true Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow! The ability to set meaningful goals will help steer your employees towards the objective you are trying to reach. Realistic goals, with the appropriate tools to reach them, will make everyone feel a part of the department’s success. Always solicit input from all of your employees as you plan new strategies to meet today’s ever-changing marketplace demands. As long as your employees feel like they have had meaningful input in creating new plans, tweaking old ones and implementing changes, any such endeavor will be more likely succeed.

4. ABILITY TO SET STRATEGY AND COURSE OF ACTION: 

What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Sales Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!

5. THE SALES LEADER IS A TEACHER A COACH AND TRAINER: 

One of the greatest leadership  principle is to share knowledge and experience This is always emphasized the need for current sales leaders to teach others. A great sales leaders himself spends what others would consider an Sales amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Sales Leader and he is developing Sales Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.

6. ABILITY TO RESOLVE PEOPLE MANAGEMENT ISSUES FAIRLY:

The ability to treat all of your subordinates fairly will be a critical factor in your success as a sales manager; never play favorites. Always give credit to an employee who is due recognition; never take credit for someone else’s initiative.To become adept at conflict resolution is an area the new sales manager must master to be successful. Never loose sight of the fact that there are always two sides to every story. Never make a decision based on just part of the story and you will earn the respect of your employees, even if the resulting decision isn’t in their favor.

 7. HELPING OTHER GROW THROUGH ON THE JOB LEARNING  

An Sales Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Sales Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an Sales Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!

8. BUILD  A COMMITED TEAM

Autocratic  managers usually are doomed to fail. Make sure not to isolate yourself from those that you directly supervise. No one can know everything, but as a sales manager you need to learn as much as is humanly possible about your department’s area of responsibility. Your employees will respect the fact that you know what their job really entails. But at the same time; don’t attempt to be buddies with your employees. The distinction between sales manager and friend needs to be clear-cut and meaningful. Never hesitate to roll up your sleeves to help, if the situation warrants your participation.

ACTION PLAN

What do you want your sales team members , your CEO or Marketing Director  and or other designated followers to think about you as their leader? These are all important questions to ask yourself. Like anything that is meaningful, you must have a vision; a goal; and a plan to assure you will reach the level or position you desire. Leadership is not necessarily all about positions in the workplace it is transformation of your self image from worker to leader and from power based leadership to service based leadership

Best of luck

Dr Wilfred Monteiro