As sales leaders, you are at the head of something – a team of salespeople. Their personalities are different. Their backgrounds are different. Their beliefs and attitudes are different. Their motivating desires are different. And, they have different levels of these things.
You have a job to do – get to a certain level of results through a team of people. When you are present in some way, they attend to your interests if you have their respect. If you do not have their respect, they pay attention to other interests.
Let’s assume you have respect as a leader – a sales leader. And, let’s assume that your team is making progress. Perhaps, they are even now at the pinnacle of success – #1, at the top. Either way, progress was made because you paid attention to your team – both as a group and as individuals.
Here’s the proverb.
Be sure to know the condition of your team. Give careful attention to your people for riches do not endure forever and a crown is not secure for all generations. (Solomon proverb: slightly revised).
What does this mean?
Things are ‘always’ breaking down. Do not rest in your vigilance as a leader. Keep on watching for possible danger or difficulties within the team or outside of the team. Standards, tardiness, and dress begin to crumble – slowly at first, then in mass. Morale begins to drop. Gossip begins to spread. Laziness crawls into the hearts of the people. “The economy makes it difficult to survive – so the people say.”
Your presence diminishes among the salespeople. You literally disappear. Success platitudes of past victories still fill the air and new ones are not heard. Goals and direction are not discussed. Challenges diminish.
No. Not you!
You lead. And, the burden of leadership is one you bear ‘all the time.’ You are sure to know the circumstances that affect the way your salespeople work and live. You watch for factors that influence the performance and outcomes of sales efforts. You fight to keep the abundance in place – to keep plenty of sales and income flowing to your people.
You realize that different time periods provide different challenges. Each one is a new generation of people and attitudes and effort. So, through different parts of the years, groups of people, and leadership, you protect the culture and its standards for the benefit of others.
Today and its future will not be lost or diminished without a struggle. You will never quit in your vigilance. Each day, your people see you look over them with care and attention. It is your position and your purpose as a leader. Be better every day. Ever build a legacy. You do this for your people. Lance.