What is your leadership philosophy? It is likely that you have one and can persuade others to align with your vision. Hopefully,
you can distill your philosophy into its fundamental principles and even list them off the top of your head. However, the
real question is, what do this philosophy and these principles mean in terms of actions, behaviors and day-to-day responsibilities?
We have all been encouraged to "lead by example." This column will not try to redefine leadership, but to illustrate what
it means to lead by example by describing how leadership can be demonstrated (and undermined) during the course of our daily
sales leadership responsibilities.
How can you lead by example when you are working with your people in the field, conducting POA meetings or managing administrative
responsibilities? The answers are below.
Working with your people in the field- Provide clear, concise and consistent feedback to your representatives. Your representatives should clearly know what two
or three things they are doing well and what two or three things they need to improve. Then follow up to ensure that requested
actions have been executed.
- Exhibit passion by demonstrating the skills and knowledge you expect from your sales representatives. Don't just tell them
how to use a new visual aid or clinical; model it for them in front of a customer or in the car.
- Use the one-on-one time with your representatives to share your visions of the district and the organization while helping
them create a developmental plan for their own career. Their plan should be simple and action-oriented, with clear examples
of tactics they can implement.
- Support the organization by addressing any strategic questions representatives have regarding the marketing direction of the
company. Provide the "why" behind the strategic messages and plan while displaying passion for your products and strategies.
Conducting POA meetings- POA meetings provide tremendous opportunities for exposure — both positive and negative. Your team is often away from their
families and together for long stretches of time. Are you providing a positive example of how they should conduct themselves,
or are you the catalyst for unproductive behavior? Ensure that everyone is participating, learning and having fun – but know
when to draw the line.
- POA meetings are opportunities to shape the company's vision and focus the business strategy. Do you embrace the company's
message through your meeting or undermine it by choosing your own direction?
- A POA meeting is a group effort that needs a defined leader. Do you embrace that leadership responsibility and delegate the
appropriate duties to your representatives, or do you hand over the important strategic decisions to someone else and simply
handle the logistical elements? Embrace your leadership role from the front of the room. Your team needs to see and hear you
support the messages and materials. Model the behavior you want them to repeat in the field, and show what good looks like
with at least one new marketing piece.
- Demonstrate your passion for the organization by seeking opportunities to align your district with home office initiatives
and pilot programs. Invite guests from the regional office or headquarters to your meetings. The more you reach out to others,
the more resources you can provide to your team.
Managing administrative responsibilities- Address the more mundane administrative aspects of your job with the same timeliness and professionalism that you show in
handling other aspects of your job.
- Build trust and sustain accountability by distributing your weekly and monthly schedule, travel itineraries, and meeting agendas
in an open and timely fashion. Teach people how to communicate with you by demonstrating impeccable communication skills.
- Demand flawless integrity by taking the time to inspect expense reports, budget spending trends, vacation time and call reports,
and hold your team accountable for their actions and deeds.
Each of us has been told to lead by example. Our question is, what exactly are you doing to provide a sound leadership
example for your team? If you do not exhibit leadership behaviors, then why should your team? They are far more likely to
model your actions than your principles. Now go forth and lead!
