All Entries Tagged With: "top performer"
When NOT to Listen to Your Company!
Written by Michael Cammack
[Contributing Author]
During national sales meetings, I always look forward to hearing stories from the company’s top sales representative. Before they proudly walk across the stage to receive recognition their district manager will share stories of what the rep did that was so above and beyond different from anyone else.
For years I have listened to these stories, and have learned they all have one thing in common: not once did the number one sales rep get to be number one by solely doing what the company has asked. Everyone gets the same sales messages and the same plan of action, but only those who know when to put corporate strategy aside and separate themselves from the flock end up walking across that stage.
The company hands out to you the Plan of Action and verbatim messaging. They basically ask you to follow steps “A, B, and C.” Well guess what…even my three year old knows there are more letters of the alphabet than “A, B, and C.” If you want to be average, then by all means use steps “A, B, and C.” Average is a comfortable place to be and you will be the majority at your next national sales meeting. However, if being the best is burning in your blood, you realize that comfort is the enemy…being in the majority stinks…and there are 23 more letters to go after “A, B, and C” that will get you walking across the winner’s stage.
Yes, you have an obligation to deliver corporate messages and follow corporate action plan, but only YOU know YOUR territory and YOUR customers! Your customers are all uniquely different, so there is no single message nor plan of action that will fit everyone. Learn to adapt before delivering blanket messages, or you are wasting time!
The next time a top performer is recognized, pay attention to their stories. Make it a point to introduce yourself, ask for their business card, and position yourself to stay in touch. Surround yourself with the most successful people at your company. Next year, it could be YOU who walks across that stage!
Managers That Brag About Their Own Greatness…
The reason that self-promotion works and self-adulation doesn’t is because self-promotion is the art of spreading ideas, concepts, and a greater vision. Self-adulation is just the promotion of accomplishments, deeds that have already been done.
When you promote ideas, you give people something to cheer for. You give people a cause to support. People, in many ways, are selfish. They promote the things that make them feel good. Your accomplishments aren’t likely to make them feel good, but your ideas do.
via copyblogger.com
As I read through this recent article on CopyBlogger, it makes me think of Top Performers Turned Managers. These managers quickly learn that the “self-talk” they use to drive their own performance doesn’t inspire the same result with their employees.
So what does the manager do… they begin telling stories about their own personal success, and it comes across as self-adulation… which again… doesn’t inspire.
If you want to engage, motivate, and inspire… focus on the two things mentioned above… promote ideas and promote the things that make your people feel good!
More Than One Successor to Carry the Torch
The other day, Phil Mickelson admitted to the press that the game of golf needs Tiger. I think that what the game of golf really needs to do is promote the other “Tigers” who are out there. When Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, the game still went on. And the NBA did not pin a single successor, but many successors that have taken basketball and the NBA to new heights. (via mashable.com)
Think about how this applies to your department and your company. On one end of the spectrum, I believe in celebrating the “one” top performer… AND on the other end of the spectrum I’m a big believer in setting a standard of excellence… and then celebrating ALL performers who reach or exceed that standard.
I never thought of it this way until I had my own department to lead. I realized that I had my top producer… and I also had a lot of other people who worked hard and produced great results also. When I began celebrating their successes and also included those producers in important decisions… performance and team morale increased all the more!