Matt Moyer

Matt Moyer is the manager of specialty representative and leadership training at The Medicines Company in Parsippany, NJ. He can be reached at matt.moyer@themedco.com.

We all know that planning is an essential part of leadership. A manager who is able to formulate a plan for success will be more likely to be successful than those who plan poorly. The effort it takes to plan well is more than worth the time, and such planning creates a vital opportunity for team members to share ideas and best practices, to identify gaps in execution and formulate remedies, and, most importantly, to articulate specific objectives for immediate focus. What are some of the core elements of a good strategic plan for pharmaceutical sales teams? What helps a manager create buy-in? And, what can help create success and momentum?

Effective frontline leadership is a complex process involving many competencies that demand a solid command of both technical knowledge and interpersonal skills. Understanding company systems, product information, technical resources, legal and HR issues, and market variables are critical to be sure – but current research indicates that these more technical aspects of leadership must be integrated with emotional intelligence. What can you do to enhance your emotional intelligence (EI/EQ)?

So many business clich̩s have merit, but one stands above the others: "Hire the right person and 90 percent of your work is behind you. Hire the wrong person and 90 percent of your work is left to do." It succinctly captures the importance and ramifications of the interview process. As a frontline manager, it is often your job to recruit, interview and hire new people for your organization Рwhat type of formal training, feedback and development have you received regarding this tremendously important capability?

In their 1999 book, First Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Hoffman studied data collected by the Gallup organization to find out what differentiated great managers from mediocre ones. They suggested that the triad of talent, knowledge and skill constitutes the "base nature" of human performance potential, and that recognizing and liberating talent is critical to empowering and keeping the right people for the right work.

There is an old Samurai saying: "A man is but for one generation, but honor is for all generations." This is particularly applicable to leadership. When a person assumes the mantle of leadership as a CEO, VP, director and, especially, as a frontline manager, he or she is expected to be trustworthy of the responsibility of that position. In many circumstances, a frontline manager is expected to lead, coach, manage, guide and help motivate a team of a dozen or so sales representatives. These people depend on the leader to be competent, truthful, timely and faithful to the commitments of the team. If this trust is broken, it can be devastating to everyone involved, including the company. But the question is, how do we lead with honor? What are symptoms of dishonor? How can we be certain we remain honorable?

Jeffrey Immelt's recent commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame reminded us why these orations can be so compelling – as with all the best speeches, it was filled with a little bit of humor, a lot of promise and a wealth of wisdom. Mr. Immelt focused on leadership. There were three pearls he hoped to pass along: passion, purpose and teamwork. Though none of these pearls was surprising, the simplicity of his underlying message – that people want and need effective leaders – speaks to a basic truth. Good leaders create a culture in which people are motivated to achieve.

Simply put, the competitive corporate work environment is demanding! High performance expectations, quick adaptation to change and putting in whatever time is needed to create success are standard issue these days. Are you feeling the stress of these pressures and others? Are you struggling to find the right mix of work time, recharge time and relationship time? In this article, we will explore issues related to work-life harmony (WLH) and provide some useful suggestions to help you optimize your approach to this crucial leadership behavior.

Why do some teams perform well and others struggle? More importantly, what are you doing to ensure that the team you manage is maximizing its potential?

Last month we discussed practical ways to help prevent unproductive conflict. We established that most of these situations can be avoided by being honorable, setting clear expectations, communicating well, being objective and displaying high emotional intelligence. Although you may be incorporating many of these behaviors, you can still expect natural conflict to occur as a consequence of change, growth and creativity, especially within the pharmaceutical industry's dynamic team environment. While conflict tends to be seen as a negative aspect of business, it is necessary and in some cases even desired – but it must be managed well so it will not stall performance or corrode individual and team spirit and cohesion. This article will focus on five behaviors you should develop in order to prepare you and your team to handle the inevitable conflict of our industry.