Last week I posted some ideas about how to shake off the torpor and malaise of Q1-2019 in the digital ad/marketing business. Today I'm speaking to managers and sales leaders. This is a moment where you can (and should!) reshape your relationship with your team. What looks like a rough patch is actually a garden of possibility.
Whether you're a CRO, a regional manager, a vertical category lead or even a project captain, there are some immediate, tangible and highly effective moves to be made.
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No Group is Too Small for a Culture. Those who wait for the company to define and establish a culture and values for their teams are inevitably frustrated. Think of the sales team you lead (and don't forget the account managers and others who support!) as if it were a platoon. Unit cohesion is everything, and Team You is looking to you - their leader - for inspiration and guidance. Engage them (in a group and individually) with these questions: As a team, what do we believe? And How do we treat one another? It won't all happen at once, but it will begin to happen immediately.
Manage the Moments. If you think management is about the reviews you conduct and the meetings you lead, think again. What you do - occasionally - in the big moments pales in importance beside what you do in all the little ones. Are you pausing and getting your team members to bring answers along with the problems? Are you leading conversations with optimism and patience? Are you summoning the discipline to be completely clear with your employees? Like parenting, management is not something you can schedule.
Reinvent the Meeting. When you do bring your team together, put some real thought and planning into it. Do in a team meeting what you can only do in a team meeting. Don't waste time reviewing numbers and facts. Decide. Question. Plan. Prioritize. Collaborate. If there's no strong verb associated with your meeting, it's not serving your needs or your culture.
Don't Scrimp on the Inspiration. Statistically, most of us don't sit in the pews on Sunday anymore, but we are joining the Church of TED in record numbers. There has never been more thoughtful motivation available than there is right now, all with a mouse click. Real people are overcoming real adversity and re-framing business and leadership practices, and they're giving it to us for free. Program a 5-minute video or short article into your team meetings, along with some discussion time. You may get an eye-roll or a cynical comment along the way, but stay with it. For strugglers, it's hope; for performers, it's fuel.
Team You won't just happen. It takes work and discipline. But it's your most impactful - and controllable - driver of success.
A customized sales strategy workshop for your team is easier and more cost-effective than you might think. And it may be the key to not only performance, but retention of your best people. Visit www.upstreamgroup.com/workshops or reach out directly to learn more.
